Dolohov's Curse
by hermionespolyjuice
Summary: Hermione gets hit by a wall during the Battle at Hogwarts, which triggers an aftermath of the deadly curse Dolohov hit her with during the Battle at the Department of Mysteries in her fifth year - how will she find a cure? Follow the search to help Hermione before time runs out.
1. Chapter 1

****Hey! This is my first fan fiction! I'm in the middle of writing the 6th chapter right now so I should be able to upload for a while - I'm aiming for about once a week! Please leave reviews as I have no idea what you guys enjoy :) *I do not own any of the characters, all copyright belongs to JK Rowling, if I did Fred wouldn't have died - I just changed the plot*****

 ** **\- HermionesPolyjuice xox****

 **Chapter 1**

It was chaos; Death Eaters, Order Members, Teachers, Students and Magical Creatures alike running and flying throughout the ruins of the castle, chasing one another in attempts to beat the opposing side. Harry, Ron and Hermione had barely been at Hogwarts a few hours, and there was already a full-blown battle happening throughout the school in an attempt to finally beat the Darkest Wizard ever, now known as Lord Voldemort. The trio had been separated. Hermione didn't know where either of the boys were, and neither of them knew where she had disappeared to fight. No one she asked knew where her best friends were and it was beginning to make Hermione very nervous. What if something had happened to them and she didn't know? She turned around a corner somewhere she believed on the third floor. She caught sight of a variety of brightly coloured flashes and sparks at the end of the corridor but was too far away to even identify the flaming red hair. She distinctively heard Fred Weasley's laugh, though, as he hit who she presumed was a Death Eater. She couldn't help but smile.

"Nice shot, Fred!" Hermione heard two other male voice congratulate Fred's success but before she could determine who those males were she heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer to where she was stood. She whipped around just in time to duck out of the way of some scarlet red sparks sent from a hooded black figure: a Death Eater. She fired spell after spell at her opponent just as the tall masked man sent more back at her. She threw herself behind fallen rubble to dodge a particular green flash of light, Avada Kedavra. From behind the rubble she pointed her wand and whispered "Alarte Ascendare". The Death Eater was thrown into the air and crashed down to the floor. He lay there unmoving; unconscious.

Pleased with herself, Hermione ducked out from behind the rubble and ran up the corridor to help Fred and the others fight off Death Eaters. Upon reaching them, she realised who they were: Charlie and Percy Weasley. With Hermione joining them, they were now equal numbers: 4 against 4. Sparks flew everywhere, ricocheting off the walls and narrowly missing the fighters. Not only did Hermione have to dodge from the Death Eater she was fighting she had to be careful of spells coming from the other Death Eaters and ones that were bouncing off the walls, floor and ceiling. A well-timed stunning spell collided with one sent by Charlie and hit a Death Eater square in the chest. He crumbled to the floor. She exchanged a quick smile with Charlie before continuing to fight; there wasn't time to waste celebrating. They would be able to celebrate when they won – not if but when.

A few minutes later, one more Death Eater down, the three Weasleys and Hermione were all supporting new cuts, grazes and bruises. A shot of red sparks from the biggest Death Eater, fighting Fred and Hermione, collided with a green spark sent from Charlie's wand. A huge blast exploded upwards throwing everyone off their feet and exploding a hole in the ceiling. Dazed, Hermione scrambled to her feet picking up her wand from the floor. She lent a hand to Percy, who had fallen next to her, and handed him his wand and horn-rimmed glasses. Then, an almighty shake vibrated through the corridor. Hermione grabbed onto Percy's arm to maintain her balance. They all turned around to see the ceiling falling down into the corridor. The massive crack was spreading rapidly through the ceiling, bricks after bricks falling and landing with loud crashes onto the ground. The crack was spreading towards the wall. Quick thoughts flooded Hermione's mind and she registered that the crack would reach the wall right by where Fred was standing. The others hadn't seemed to noticed as they scrambled about trying to push rubble out of the way to escape. A moment later, without even thinking, Hermione flung herself at Fred, forcing him away from the falling wall, taking the entire force of the wall whilst pushing Fred away. And then everything went black and Hermione knew no more.

"HERMIONEEE!" Charlie shouted turning around just in time to see her pushing his younger brother out of the way, and saving his life, before taking the full force of the wall. She was buried by the bricks. Percy quickly muttered a spell under his breath and crack stopped and the ceiling and wall stopped falling into the corridor, before running over to the pile of bricks Hermione was hidden under. Fred was shaking on the floor; his left leg was caught under some rubble but otherwise seemed unhurt. Percy scrambled to Fred's side and pushed at the brick squashing Fred's leg. It wouldn't budge. He tried again pushing with all his might.

"Charlie…here…come…help me…" Percy panted signalling to Charlie. But Charlie ignored him. He was scrambling about through the rubble trying to relieve Hermione.

"Charlie!" Percy shouted catching his brother's attention, "Come here now and help me free Fred and then we'll get her out." Charlie was as pale as a ghost. The girl he considered to be a sister had just saved his little brother's life and now she was going to die. He stood up and clambered over to Percy and Fred. He gripped underneath the rocking crushing Fred's leg and together with Percy they heaved it off him.

"Thank…thank you…" Fred stammered. He didn't feel any pain but he knew many bones were crushed. He was in shock. Hermione had taken the wall for him, quite literally. He sat there gobsmacked thinking of all the times he had considered her as his sister before coming to his senses when Percy clicked his fingers in front of his eyes. He stood up, wincing in pain but didn't let it trouble him. He limped over to join Charlie and Percy and started pulling away at the smaller bricks.

A few minutes later, they had managed to remove quite a few bricks; they heard footsteps behind them and turned on their heels pulling their wands out of the jeans' pockets just to see Harry and Ron running towards them. They all let out a sigh of relief. The last thing they wanted to do was to have to fight off more Death Eaters. They needed to get Hermione out. If she had any chance of surviving, the bricks had to be moved now.

"What happened? We heard the biggest crash of the whole battle. We knew you guys were all here and ran over as quickly as possible," Harry explained and catching a look at Fred's leg, "Bloody hell Fred, what happened? Are you OK?" Charlie, Percy and Fred just stared at them both.

"Her…Her…Hermione…she pushed me….she's…she's under the bricks…help us" Fred stammered holding back tears. He looked over at his elder brothers; they both had damp cheeks and glistening eyes from the tears. Harry and Ron looked both terrified and shocked. Their best friend was likely to become a victim of this horrid war. That was when Harry decided he would head to the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort himself. That was when they had got Hermione out. All five of them began to heave the huge bricks off the pile that was covering Hermione, but were struggling. They weren't strong enough for this.

"This is useless. You know we all have wands right?" Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." A huge brick lifted from the pile, Harry guided it down the corridor before it crashed to the ground. The others followed suit and the large pile slowly got smaller and smaller. Harry was the first to see Hermione's hand. He pointed it out and soon they were all frantically yelling Wingardium Leviosa to move the bricks as quickly as thy could. Hermione's body came into view and when Ron charmed the final brick away that was covering her ankles, Charlie ran over to her and knelt next to her. He grabbed her left hand; she was still clutching her wand in her right, and groped around her wrist trying to find a pulse, without noticing a dislocated shoulder, that was bleeding heavily and likely to be blocking any blood flow through an artery to her wrist.

"Noooooooooooo," he shrieked when he couldn't find one before breaking down and sobbing loudly, not letting go of Hermione's cold hand. Harry, and the other Weasleys fell to their knees, tears silently pouring down Percy and Fred's cheeks. Harry and Ron crawled over to Hermione and collapsed next to her. They all stayed there for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes, trying to console each other and crying loud, dirty tears.

"Lumos." Harry looked up and saw a male figure walking towards them. He jumped to his feet and pulled his wand out. His eyes were blotchy and red but he didn't care. The Weasley's all joined him, forming a protective circle around Hermione's still body. They would defend her and fight anyone who came down this corridor. The older male flicked his wand and the corridor cleared itself. Another flick and lights filled the corridor. They all squinted to see who it was, they were certain it wasn't a Death Eater as he wouldn't have done that and would have just attacked them.

"Dad?" Ron croaked. The figure walked closer, and Harry could indeed see it was Mr Weasley – he had never been so glad to see the muggle-lover in his life. He would save Hermione; he would be able to do something. He would know what to do. Mr Weasley ran over to his sons and Harry and gave them a hug before catching sight of Hermione lying lifeless on the floor. He simply stared, unmoving not quite knowing what to do; Harry knew he considered her his daughter, not just because of her muggle heritage or friendship with Ron, Harry and his other children. She was so perfect, she was intelligent, smart but also realistic, friendly and simply delightful, she even had a good sense of humour to please the rest of the Weasleys. Thinking of her caused Harry's eyes to well up. He didn't fight the tears that trickled down his cheeks.

Mr Weasley came to his senses and knelt down by Hermione, stroking her hair. He absentmindedly reached down and pressed his finger into the nape of her neck and left them there for a few moments. Then, he felt it. He felt what he was looking for. It was faint, infrequent and weak. But her heartbeat was there. To everyone else's surprise he smiled broadly before turning up to his sons and Harry, "Someone get a portkey from Madam Pompfrey. We need to get Hermione to St Mungo's if she's going to live any longer."

 **(AN: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Please do leave reviews as it will allow me to tailor the story to what you guys want!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Chapter 2 here, hope you enjoy it! It's a bit longer than Chapter 1 but hope you don't mind - would you prefer longer ones or shorter ones? So glad you liked the 1st one, my 1st ever FanFic and I had no idea how it would do so thank you :D And thank you for leaving reviews, don't forget that they will make the story better so you can all enjoy it!**

 **HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 2**

"Is she going to be ok?" Ginny asked her mother as they walked down the corridor at St Mungo's about 6 hours later.

"I don't know, dear. She was very badly hurt but she's alive. That's the main thing. I do know, however, that she is an incredibly strong girl and she will fight with every ounce of energy she has to survive this," Mrs Weasley answered her daughter. Ginny gave a sniff and Mrs Weasley turned around to face her daughter.

"I…I just didn't think anything would happen to anyone," Ginny sniffed. Hermione was her best friend - she couldn't lose her.

"I know, dear. I don't think anyone did. But it happened and we survived. Voldemort is dead and now we just have to hope that Hermione can pull through." She gave her daughter a tight hug as she said this. They stood there for a minute or two, Mrs Weasley stroking Ginny's hair whilst Ginny cried into her mother's chest. Mrs Weasley squeezed her tightly. It was awful, yes she was delighted her whole family survived but she felt a Hermione-shaped hole in her heart. She wasn't her daughter by blood but she may well have been, she was apart of the family. This family, the Weasleys, and she _was_ going to remain so because she _was_ going to survive. Ginny let go of her mother and they walked down the corridor to the waiting room to the rest of the Weasley family and Harry. They all looked up at them as they walked over. Each member had an assortment of cuts and bruises and Fred's leg was bandaged up, a simple spell had fixed it all together and he was able to join his family.

"She's alright at the moment. It's all very touch and go but the Healers stopped her internal bleeding and they think she has a chance, we just have to hope." Everyone sighed and sat down. Everyone except Charlie, who continued to pace the waiting room. It was his spell that had caused this. It was his fault that Hermione may no longer be with them. It was his entire fault and he had never been able to tell her how he felt about her.

It was five days later and Hermione had still not woken up. Everyone was panicking – even the Healers. She went through stages of strengthening and everyone thought she would make it and then she would begin to fade and they were preparing to say goodbye to their best friend. The Weasley family and Harry took it in turns to sit with her whilst the others continued with their lives. There was paperwork to be filled out. Jobs to be continued with. Hogwarts to be fixed before the start of the new year in September. Families to be consoled as they had lost loved ones. Shops in Diagon Alley to be replenished.

"I'm really scared Harry," Ron said quietly across Hermione's bed. They had just replaced Mrs Weasley and Ginny. They had sat there in silence for what felt like hours before Ron croaked to Harry. Harry looked up and saw a pained expression etched on Ron's face. He nodded. He was too. There was no way of denying it. In the back of his mind he knew Hermione was unlikely to make it. He shoved that thought further to the back of his mind and replaced it with positive thoughts and happy memories of the three of them.

"Me too, Ron. But she'll make it. I know she will," Harry replied.

"What…What if she doesn't?" Harry looked over at his best friend. There was a long scar running down his left cheek and his right eye was black and bruised.

"I don't want to think about it. I can't imagine life without her and I refuse to accept it might happen," Harry lied about the last bit. He was slowly coming to terms that he may well be losing his best friend. Tears filled his eyes for what felt like the 100th time since the battle at Hogwarts and saw tears also running down Ron's cheeks. He reached for Hermione's hand and gave it a squeeze. Harry could have sworn he saw her twitch but convinced himself otherwise.

"We need you Hermione. We really do. We can't continue our lives without you. You made us to be who were are," Harry grimaced at how cheesy it all sounded but it was true. Every word of it was true.

"For god sakes Granger, just snap out of it," Ron exclaimed suddenly. Harry was not expecting that from Ron. He looked over to his best mate and saw what he thought to be anger flash through his eyes. Harry had known Ron's secret for a while know but he was also the only one to know Charlie's. Ron had told Harry about his slight crush for Hermione back at Bill and Fleur's wedding when they first spotted her in that beautiful dress. But he'd known Charlie's feelings for Hermione since their fourth year after the Quidditch match. Charlie had made Harry swear not to tell anyone, especially not one of his brothers. Harry felt confused and was mulling all this over when suddenly a loud beeping noise came from the machines. Within seconds, Harry and Ron had been pushed out of the way by Healers who ran into the room and took their places around Hermione. A number of spells later and the loud beeping stopped. Harry cast an anxious look towards Ron who had silent tears dripping down his face. He gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze and whispered, "She will be fine Ron. Listen to me." Ron just looked back at Hermione. She looked so peaceful even with all the wires and tubes. She was being given potion after potion after potion in an attempt to make her better but nothing seemed to be working.

"That's the third time it's happened today," one of the Healers said as she walked over to Harry and Ron. She was quite a bit shorter than them but had the aura of a motherly figure. Harry felt rather calm around her. "Her body can't take it much longer I'm afraid. I'm really sorry to tell you but I reckon she has about a 5% chance of making it out of this." She patted Harry and Ron's arms before bustling out of the room. Ron broke down and fell into a ball on the floor. Harry knelt down next to him and gave him a hug. He'd never really hugged Ron but now was the time. They stayed there for a few minutes both crying before the door flung open. Ginny, Mrs Weasley and Charlie all burst into the room. They took one look at Harry and Ron on the floor and confirmed their thoughts they so desperately didn't want to be true.

Hermione stabilised over the next two days and was significantly improving. Everyone was thrilled, she had a long way to go but it was very likely she would make it. Her room was now filled with positive emotions, laughs and memories – a great improvement from the tears and negativity that had previously been there the past week. It had been a week since the Battle, a whole week since Harry and Ron had spoken to their best friend, seven days since Hermione was with them.

It was dusk. The Weasleys and Harry had gone back to the Burrow but Charlie had decided to stay with her, he had been by her side most of the time. He still believed it was his fault and wanted her to know he was there for her. He had temporarily quit his job, at least until he knew Hermione was better – there was plenty to be getting on with in the aftermath of the battle.

"Mmm," Hermione moaned. Charlie jerked upright, without letting go of her hand.

"Hermione?"

"Mmm."

"Hermione! You're awake! Can you hear me?" Charlie said excitedly.

"My head hurts," Hermione muttered without opening her eyes.

"Hermione!" Charlie said quite loudly giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"Ow, I told you my head hurts and you go shouting me name," Hermione said her voice getting stronger.

"Sorry," Charlie whispered. He sat there staring at her for a while, watching her chest rise and fall with steady breaths. It was shallow but she was breathing on her own with no need for the machines and spells. Charlie's eyes filled with tears and he smiled so wide.

"Are you crying?" Hermione said. Charlie looked over to see Hermione looking up into his eyes.

"Dang, you caught me," he chuckled, wiping his eyes with his left sleeve without letting go of Hermione's hand. Hermione smiled. She still looked beautiful even if she was so pale and thin. Her cheeks were slowly regaining colour. Charlie smiled back, at which point the door burst open. Three Healers walked into the room looking delighted. They made there way to Hermione's bed and began moving their wands across her muttering spells, neither Hermione nor Charlie recognised.

"Well, it looks like you're doing very well Miss Granger," the elderly male said to her giving her a pat on her shoulder. Hermione winced with the touch.

"There there, it's OK – you've been giving us quite a shock this past week. We will be back in half an hour to check on you. Would you like us to send for everyone else?" Hermione looked confused and turned to face Charlie, who nodded. The Healers bustled out of the room.

"A week?" Hermione asked. Charlie explained exactly what had happened to her, the fighting of the Death Eaters, the collision of spells, the wall falling on top of her, the scramble to get her out, how they all thought she had died but they were wrong and how she'd been in this bed ever since. He missed out the part where she saved Fred's life; he didn't feel it was right for him to burden her with that information.

"But, but what happened?"

"Harry won," Charlie replied simply a huge grin spreading across his face.

"I knew it! I knew he was going to do it!" Hermione exclaimed delightedly. She winced and placed her free hand to her side. Charlie looked worried.

"Are you OK?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, I'll be fine – I reckon I'll just be sore for a while," Hermione replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow, what a friendly way to speak to someone," Charlie huffed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Hermione apologised. But she saw the friendly twinkle in Charlie's eyes and sighed. "All you Weasleys do is pull tricks. I've always wondered if there's anything to any of you without your immature sense of humour."

"Wow, you really are full of insults. Maybe we should have left you unconscious." Hermione knew full well he was joking but did feel a bit hurt by the comment.

"You never answered my –" Hermione was interrupted by eight Weasleys and Harry bursting into the room all grinning from ear to ear.

"Hermione!" they all shouted. Harry, Ron and Ginny all ran up to her and hugged her tightly without noticing her wince with pain. A good while later, they let go of her and stepped back. They grinned at her and she managed a smile back up at them.

"We're so glad you're better Hermione. You really having been making us worry. I think I've gained quite a few more grey hairs in the past week," Mrs Weasley said making her way over and giving Hermione's hand a tight squeeze. She turned to Charlie, "The Healers said she woke up about 10 minutes ago and sent for us. We came straight away." Charlie nodded still not letting go of Hermione's hand. But it was Fred that Hermione was looking at. He was crying while his twin comforted him. Fred must have seen her looking and gulped, their eyes meeting.

"I reckon you deserve an explanation," he said seeing the look on Hermione's face.

 **(A/N: what are you thoughts? I don't know much about Wizardry Healing so I was making up a bit and adding in machines etc as that's what we have but figured they could be slightly magical! BTW the loud beeping sound was her heart failing and the spells they performed were the equivalent of CPR) Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave a review!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Hope you are all enjoying it :) please don't forget to leave reviews - they are super helpful! I'll start replying to your reviews at the beginning of the next chapters!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thanks, I was using some weird symbol thing in between times but guess I didn't start using them until this chapter!**

 **FlowerChild23 - thanks :)**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you!**

 **\- HermionesPolyuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 3**

Hermione had been kept in St Mungo's for three more days before being released. She was still incredibly tired and spent most of the time sleeping but she was delighted to finally leave the room and return back to The Burrow. Her parents were still in Australia and she had nowhere to live. She had expressed this worry to Mrs Weasley the day after waking up.

"Are you being serious? You're staying with us. We've already set up an extra bed in Ginny's room and managed to find all of you clothes and books," Molly had scoffed. Hermione smiled, she was so happy to be apart of the Weasley family.

She got dressed into a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and her comfiest green hoody. As she was pulling on her shoes Harry and Ron entered her room beaming.

"I can't believe you're finally coming home. I didn't think this day would ever come," Ron grinned walking over to her. Hermione stood up and swayed. She made to sit back down on her bed but Harry and Ron both firmly grabbed her arms, tightly to support her but not so tight to make her wince. They both knew she was still in a lot of pain but being Hermione she refused to make a fuss about it. She was still a bit unsteady on her feet, she had been given a walking stick but they both knew it would never be used.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Ready," Hermione smiled back at him and they made their way out of her room and down the corridor to the fireplace. They were going to use floo powder to get back to The Burrow – it was the safest way for Hermione to travel.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace to be faced with the rest of the Weasley family. They all grinned at them. Behind them, Hermione could she a banner hanging above the fireplace 'WELCOME HOME HERMIONE'. She knew it was Fred and George's invention as the letters were moving and spraying out mini, silent fireworks and streamers. She felt her eyes begin to feel with tears. She had never known she was this appreciated by the Weasley family. Yes, she had loved them dearly and considered them closer than friends but she never thought they felt the same about her.

"It's alright Hermione, dear. It's a lot to take in. How about you make your way up to Ginny's room and get some sleep before lunch," Mrs Weasley said walking up to her and giving her a tight hug. Hermione didn't even wince and hugged her back.

"No, I'm fine. I've slept enough already. The Healers said I slept for 16 hours last night," she said with a chuckle.

"Up to you dear," Mrs Weasley said letting go of her. Hermione was then receiving hugs from everyone. Fred was the last one. His eyes were glistening with a few tears but he was smiling brightly. He gave her the biggest hug of all and she could feel a few tears land on her head as she took in his distinctive smell while burying her head in his chest. He stroked his hair and sniffed. Hermione looked up at him.

"There's no need to cry. We're both here," Hermione said up to him.

"Yes. But you saved my life Mione. You may have well died just to save me. I will never be able to repay you," Fred hiccupped.

"You don't need to." Fred gave her a tight squeeze before letting go. Hermione grabbed her side, all the hugs, of which she regretted none, had caused a sharp pain to spread down her side. She was used to it though but terror flooded into Fred's face as Hermione winced.

"Merlin! Are you OK? I didn't do anything did I?" Fred questioned. Hermione shook her head and smiled up at him.

"I still just hurt a lot but it's fine. Don't worry Fred." Mrs Weasley returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. She handed it to Hermione who accepted it gladly and drank deeply.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen while I prepare lunch? Ginny's trying to give Crookshanks a wash," Mrs Weasley told her before leading Hermione into the kitchen. Hermione obediently followed, leaving Fred standing in the middle of the living room. She hobbled into the kitchen just as Ginny finished tying a red bow around Crookshanks neck – he looked miserable, and very fluffy. Ginny had obviously charmed him to dry him off. Hermione made her way to the table and collapsed into the chair next to Ginny. Crookshanks lightly jumped into Hermione's lap and she gave him a tight hug. She had actually missed him quite a bit the last 10 months or so. The Weasleys had kindly looked after him whilst she was finding Horcruxes with Harry and Ron but she was glad to see him again.

Mrs Weasley got Ginny and Hermione to peel potatoes and carrots. Ginny complained the entire time knowing her mother was very able to use magic but Hermione knew she had done it to keep Hermione busy and she was glad about that. Half an hour later, many potatoes and carrots peeled and chopped lunch was sitting on the table and Mrs Weasley went out of the room to call her sons for lunch; Mr Weasley and Percy had headed back to the Ministry for work. Whilst they were waiting for them, Ginny and Hermione helped themselves to the food before the boys got there and demolished it all. Ginny's plate was piled high – she had the appetite of a teenage boy. Hermione, however, just had a few pieces of food. She still hadn't regained her appetite since her accident.

The Weasley boys burst in and took their seats around the table, Harry sat down next to Hermione and Ron on his other side. Charlie sat opposite Hermione, the twins on either side of him. There was a scramble for the food and within a few minutes everyone's plates were piled high with delicious smelling chicken and vegetables. They all tucked in, Charlie and George finished within 5 minutes having scoffed their food down. Hermione, on the other hand, had barely touched her food. She was just playing with it with her fork. She felt nauseous and the thought of eating made her feel like she was going to be sick.

"You need to eat something, Mione," Harry whispered into her ear having noticed that she hadn't touched her plate. Hermione cast a look towards Harry and sighed. She picked up a carrot with her fork and put it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. But as she swallowed she felt a burning sensation in her side. She gasped and grabbed her side. She had eaten some food in the hospital but had never felt that before. Everyone sitting at the table stopped mid-conversation and stared at Hermione.

"It's nothing – I'll be fine," she smiled to them. They all looked unconvinced.

"Seriously, I am fine," Hermione said firmly. Still sceptical everyone else went back to their food. Hermione picked up a potato and ate it, this time without any extra pain. Hermione slowly ate some more vegetables – she didn't feel ready for the chicken quite yet, without any problems.

"So what are you all planning this afternoon then?" Mrs Weasley asked when everyone had finished. She flicked her wand clearing the table of plates.

"Quidditch," Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Ginny answered together. Hermione grinned – she had known what the answer was.

"I didn't think I needed to ask," Mrs Weasley laughed. They boys all jumped up and ran out to collect their brooms leaving Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Ginny in the kitchen.

"Hermione, dear, is everything ok? You didn't really touch your food," Mrs Weasley asked softly.

"I don't know, I feel fine but when I had that carrot I had a really bad pain in my side. I hadn't had that before when I ate. I'm sure it's nothing though."

"Why don't you go and catch up with some sleep. I'll send Ginny up in a few hours to wake you up," Mrs Weasley suggested.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea. Thank you so much Mrs Weasley."

"Molly, dear." Hermione smiled at her and headed out of the kitchen. She slowly walked up the stairs and pushed open Ginny's bedroom door. She headed over to the spare bed by the window and collapsed onto it. She was surprisingly exhausted. She didn't even make it under the covers before she was sound asleep.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione woke about an hour later to shouts and laughs outside. They were playing Quidditch just outside Ginny's room and it sounded like Harry had just knocked Charlie off his broom while they were chasing the snitch. Hermione smiled to herself, everyone here was happiest when they were playing Quidditch. Hermione lay there for a few minutes before sitting up and walking towards the closed door. She hobbled downstairs, holding onto the banister to keep her balance. She made her way outside and sat down on the bench by the Quidditch pitch to watch her friends play. She had never been a flyer herself but she always enjoyed watching it. Just as she arrived Fred hit a particularly nasty bludger towards Ron, who had to dive to miss it. As he dove Ginny swerved and threw the quaffle through the middle hoop. She flew over to Fred and they exchanged a hi-five. It was a beautiful, warm day in May. Hermione could smell the new flowers in the air and hear the lambs in the next field. You would never have thought that only 10 days previously the greatest wizarding battle ever had just taken place.

"It's great to see you out here, but you must be a bit chilly." Hermione looked over to see Mrs Weasley walking towards her carrying a blanket. She grinned up at her second mother, who threw the blanket over Hermione's legs. They both sat there in silence watching everyone else play the wizarding sport. Harry caught the snitch three more times before a very embarrassed Charlie called it a day. They dismounted their brooms beaming and walked over to Mrs Weasley and Hermione beads of sweat falling down their faces.

"We're going to go play Exploding Snap, Mione. Care to join us?" Fred panted.

"I'll be right behind you," Hermione replied. They all went inside, followed by Mrs Weasley, but Charlie stayed and gave Hermione a hand. She took it gratefully, bundling the blanket under her arms. Charlie put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and tightened his grip.

"Is everything OK Hermione?" Charlie asked. Hermione heard a hint of concern in his voice and looked up at him and met his eyes.

"I think so, Charlie. I just can't believe that this past year actually happened. I guess I'm just in quite a bit of shock." Charlie gave her a gentle squeeze.

"It's OK, Mione. I don't think anyone can quite believe it. And then you decided to go and give us quite the shock last week."

"I'm sorry. But at least it was me not Fred." Charlie stopped suddenly and stared down at her completely gobsmacked.

"What in Merlin's beard are you talking about?"

"Well, I guess he has a family that all care for him so I couldn't bare the thought of any of you trying to live without him. And I…well my parents are in Australia with no idea I exist," Hermione said quietly tears filling her eyes.

"Hermione. Never, ever think for a second that we don't care for you. You are like a sister to my siblings and a daughter to my parents. Everyone was so distraught when they found out what happened. OK we had our brother but we almost didn't have our sister. So please don't think you needed to do that because Fred had a family and you didn't because Merlin's beard do you have a family," Charlie said seriously. Hermione's tears began to spill down her face. Charlie pulled her into a tight hug and she cried into his chest. He held her there for a minute, stroking her hair before exclaiming, "Merlin, Mione. You really know how to ruin a shirt." Hermione giggled and pulled herself away from Charlie.

"Sorry," she mumbled wiping her eyes. They headed back into the house in silence. Everyone else was sitting on the floor around a pack of cards.

"You two took your time," George said exasperatedly. Hermione and Charlie grinned as they walked over and took a seat in between Bill and Ginny. Fred dealt out the cards and Exploding Snap began.

They were just in the middle of their third game when all the lights went out. A silver Weasel came through the open windows.

"Harry and Hermione. Floo to the Ministry now. Kingsley must see you," it said in Mr Weasley's voice before disappearing with a silent pop.

 **(A/N oooh a bit of a cliffy! 10 points to anyone who correctly guesses why Kingsley needs to see Harry Hermione! Chapter 4 coming soon! don't forget to leave some reviews! also if you felt like telling people about this story that would be really helpful/kind of you :))**


	4. Chapter 4

**New Chapter! I hope you enjoyed the last one; I'm going to try to make the chapters longer but do tell me if you prefer shorter ones!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thank you! I hope you enjoy this one!**

 **StarGirlPotter - I loved reading you thoughts, you should definitely write that it would be so interesting a no doubt a great read - let me know if you do!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 4**

Everyone looked over to Harry and Hermione in utter shock. They sat there in silence for a few moments.

"What was that about?" Charlie questioned. Harry and Hermione shrugged their shoulders looking at each other. Mrs Weasley re-entered the living room carrying two robes. She passed one to Harry and one to Hermione as they both stood up. Harry offered Hermione his hand as they walked over to the fireplace. Mrs Weasley passed the bowl of floo powder to them. Harry grabbed a handful and took a step into the fireplace. Hermione followed. Hermione got one last look at the Weasley's stunned faces before Harry threw the powder and green flames flew up. Hermione felt him squeeze her hand before shouting "Ministry of Magic". She squeezed her eyes shut to stop soot from getting into them

A few moments later Harry and Hermione fell out of a fireplace in the Ministry of Magic's main corridor. They stood up and saw Mr Weasley waiting for them, looking rather worried. They headed over to him.

"Harry. Hermione. I'm glad you made it so quickly. The minister needs to speak to you. He's waiting for you in his office on Level 1." Mr Weasley nodded over to the lifts. Harry and Hermione walked slowly over, Harry giving Hermione's hand a tight squeeze. She looked over at him and saw they same confused expression etched on his face that she felt on her own. What had they done? Why was it only them? What did Kingsley need to see them for? They reached the lifts and had to wait only a minute for one to return to the ground level. They let the witches and wizards off the lift, both looking at the floor not wanting to draw attention to who they were. A few of the witches and wizards cast a look at them and stopped suddenly but regained their composure and carried on walking throwing a few apprehensive looks back at them. They walked into the lift and Harry punched the black button with a gold 1 etched on it. The doors closed and they both felt the lift hurtle down.

"Level 1. Office of the Minister for Magic" the high, female voice said as the doors opened. Harry and Hermione exchanged scared looks before stepping off the lift.

They were met by the Minister for Magic as the doors swung open. He saw them coming out of the lift and gave them a friendly smile.

"Nice to see you both. Please follow me," Kingsley's deep voice said. He turned around and headed down the well-lit corridor. Harry and Hermione exchanged one more look and followed the Minister. Kingsley pushed open the second door on the left and walked in. Harry and Hermione walked in. Hermione gaped at the room. She was expecting it to be filled with filing cabinets and desks but there was nothing of the sort. It was a big round room with large windows on the far wall. Hermione could see the sun setting outside and knew it was like the ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall and had been enchanted there as they were underground. The other walls were lined with books upon books – it was Hermione's dream room. Three large, comfortable looking emerald green sofas sat in the middle lined with miss-matched cushions. There were four equally comfortable looking armchairs – two by the window and the other two completing a circle with the armchairs.

"Do take a seat," Kingsley said indicating to one of the sofas. Harry and Hermione sat down as Kingsley sat opposite them.

"It's great to see you better, Hermione. You did an incredibly heroic thing out there but we're all so proud of you for fighting your way back," Kingsley gave her a warming smile and Hermione's cheeks flushed bright red. She looked down at her feet. Harry knew what she was thinking – it was hardly heroic. Hundreds sacrificed their lives to help defeat Voldemort yet they hadn't been called heroic. Harry and the Weasleys all felt differently, she had saved Fred to take her own life – if that wasn't heroic they didn't know what was. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"Thank you," she smiled back at Kingsley.

"I know you're both wondering why you're here," Kingsley said his voice turning serious. They both nodded.

"Well, I'm not sure whether you know but after the 1st Wizarding War a law was implemented forcing those leaving Hogwarts, and other wizarding schools, into marriages. It was, however, abandoned after only a decade due to so much opposition." Hermione felt her stomach clench, she knew what Kingsley was about to say, but surely it would affect the Weasleys. She was very confused as to why only Harry and Hermione had been beckoned to see Kingsley.

"Unfortunately, the law was voted back into use this morning and will be implemented at the beginning of next week. The reason only you two have been brought here is because there have been a few changes to the law," Kingsley added seeing their confused looks. He sighed before continuing. "It has been decided that only non pure-blood witches and wizards, meaning half-bloods and muggleborns," he nodded towards Harry and Hermione, "will be affected by this law. They will be required to marry within six months of finishing their final year at Hogwarts. Fortunately, you have a choice with this matter. You have up to six weeks to submit whom you shall marry. If you have not submitted it after those six weeks you shall be assigned someone. A muggle must marry a pureblood and a half-blood either a pureblood or another half-blood." He winced when saying those two words as if he hated categorising wizards according to their birth status. "According to the Wizengamot it's to ensure that wizarding bloodlines are continued. The wizarding world is rapidly decreasing due to the marrying of muggles and production of so many squibs. By ensuring that marriage only occurs within those with wizarding blood, or even muggles who had an education in wizardry, then these numbers should stop decreasing and the wizarding world shall begin to increase. " The last few sentences obviously pained him, Harry and Hermione knew instantly that he was against the new law.

"So, what you're saying is that Hermione and I both have six weeks to find someone to marry for the rest of our lives but if we don't the Ministry will pick for us," Harry gulped after a few moments of silence. He blatantly hated it as much as Kingsley did. Hermione just sat there in utter shock.

"There are a few more requirements, you must have at least two children within five years. And there is no way that you are allowed to separate. If either of you attempt to leave the other, you shall both be required to spend four years in Azkaban," Kingsley continued sounding even more distraught by the fact that he was actually enforcing this law.

"But…but that's just immoral," Hermione stuttered.

"I know that. I am the last person in this world who wishes to impose this but regrettably it's not up to me. It's up to those on the Wizengamot and unfortunately they voted to implement this law. I honestly wish there was something I could do."

"There must be something you can do. _You're_ the Minister for Magic. Surely there's something," Hermione said forcefully.

"Trust me I wish there was. I've been through practically every book in the Ministry trying to find a loophole but I just can't seem to find one. But, I will not give up. I will find something – I am working very hard to overturn this decision. I just felt you needed to know prior to the announcement in a few days time." Harry and Hermione could tell by the look in his eyes that Kingsley truly was trying everything he could.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Everything OK?" Mr Weasley asked Harry and Hermione 30 minutes later when they met up with him on the ground level.

"Um…ok I guess, I'm not really sure," Harry answered honestly. He was quite confused, had Mr Weasley not heard about the new law. Surely working at the Ministry he would have found out.

"How about we go back home and you can explain it to us all at once?" he suggested. Harry and Hermione nodded, relieved. They didn't like the thought of having to explain the new law twice. Mr Weasley turned around and started walking towards the fireplaces, this time towards the ones on the left. He stepped into one and shouted "The Burrow". Green flames erupted and he disappeared. Harry looked at Hermione and started walking towards the fireplace Mr Weasley had just vanished in but Hermione didn't follow.

"Are you OK?" Harry asked, noticing she didn't follow and walking back to her. Hermione shook her head.

"I just can't believe it. It feels a bit like a dream. I feel like I'll wake up and none of this will have happened; I'll wake up and we'll still be in the tent trying to fin the Horcruxes. Just none of it quite seems to make sense."

"I completely agree but now's not the time. Let's head back to the Burrow and get this explanation out of the way," Harry said reaching out for Hermione's hand but she withdrew it.

"I'll get in after you. I think it's safer, that way we don't tumble out together." Harry looked at her suspiciously. "Seriously, Harry I'm capable of floo'ing by myself." Still unconvinced but not wanting to argue, Harry walked into the fireplace and shouted "The Burrow". Once the green flames dies down, Hermione took a deep breath and followed her friend. Just as she also shouted "The Burrow" she felt pain in her side, worse than it had ever been.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace in the Burrow's living room and fell to the floor, clutching her side in considerable amount of pain. She could hear everyone moving about in surprise, not knowing quite what to do. She heard them all asking her questions but she was unable to comprehend what was being asked. She soon felt strong arms pick her up and walk her over to the sofa. She put her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest, silent tears spilling down her cheeks. When he went to put her down she didn't release her grip so he sat down on the sofa keeping her in his lap. She felt him pull a blanket over her. She felt safe in his arms as if no one could hurt her. The pain had subsided but she still cried silent tears. He began to stoke her hair.

"There, there. It's OK, Hermione. Everything's going to be fine. Just take some deep breaths." It was Charlie. Hermione tried to breathe deeply but hiccupped and snot stained Charlie's shirt.

"You know that's the second shirt you've ruined today," he said with a sigh. Hermione looked up, frowning.

"I was joking," he apologised hurriedly. Hermione smiled and placed her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating, slow and strong, and could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath. She tried to mimic his breathing to calm down. They sat there for a while. Charlie didn't complain once. Hermione had not felt this safe in a very long time. She heard footsteps behind her and looked over Charlie's shoulder to see the Weasleys and Harry walk into the room. Judging by the grave looks etched on their faces it seemed as though Harry had told them about the new law.

"Oh, Hermione. I'm so sorry," Mrs Weasley said consolingly. Hermione felt fresh tears fill her eyes. She turned away and lent into Charlie again.

"What happened?" Charlie inquired. Hermione didn't answer. There was silence for a few minutes before Harry explained everything that had happened to Charlie.

"That is not OK. Do they not realise that two of the three who defeated Voldemort aren't purebloods. That is _not_ how they should be thanking you," Charlie exclaimed. Hermione heard the annoyance in his voice.

"It's fine Charlie. It'll all be OK. We actually have 3 months given that Hogwarts wouldn't actually end for another month," Hermione reassured him. She sat up and slid off his lap and sat on the sofa. It sank underneath her. Charlie looked unconvinced, as did everyone else. Hermione looked up at Harry. For the first time in a very long time she was unable to read his feelings. There was a look of anguish and anger as well as sadness and general tiredness.

"It's hardly OK, Hermione. This shouldn't have happened. There are other ways to go about increasing the wizarding world and forcing 18 year olds into marriage so soon after finishing school is not the way to do it," Mr Weasley said sternly, "I will personally go and speak to Kingsley about it tomorrow." Everyone just sat there in silence mulling the new law over. Obviously it did not affect the Weasleys as they were all purebloods but they were all devastated by the news and couldn't help but feel incredibly sorry for Harry and Hermione. However, both Harry and Hermione knew that it was implemented with good reason; they just had not been expecting it at all. _Harry's in a better place though,_ Hermione thought. _He loves Ginny and Ginny loves him. They'll get married. Give it a month and a wedding will be in the midst of being planned. Me, however, who the hell am I going to marry? A pureblood. The Weasleys are pureblood. As is Malfoy – no Hermione there is no way you are going to let yourself be married to Malfoy. I have three months to find the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with._ Thinking about it all made it seem so real and she was terrified.

"Hermione? Hermione!" Ron practically shouted at her. She looked up to see only Harry, Ron and Ginny left in the living room.

"Are you OK?" Ron asked concernedly taking a seat on the sofa next to Hermione.

"Yes, yes I'm fine – just in a bit of shock that's all," Hermione answered hurriedly. "Where did everyone go?"

"Mum went to start on dinner. Dad went to right a letter and the others were made to de-gnome the garden," Ginny replied sitting on the arm next to Ron.

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked timidly. Hermione looked over to him.

"I have no idea. There aren't exactly too many purebloods I could see myself being with. I mean I've got to try to avoid Malfoy."

"Oh you will. Don't worry; we'll help you find someone. You never know it might even be a ginger-haired foul," Ron smirked. Hermione's heart fluttered. Did he know her feelings towards Fred? Was he being serious? Did Fred feel the same? But what about Charlie? He had been so kind and thoughtful to her ever since the accident. No, she couldn't have feelings for Charlie as well. What about Ron? That kiss during the Battle – what had that meant? She suddenly realised she had never talked to him about it. It was probably killing him inside.

"Ron, can I have a word with you? In private?" she asked tentatively. Ron's smile faded. He had no idea what she was talking about. They both stood up and walked outside. Ron grabbed Hermione's arm to help her steady herself and they headed towards the large oak tree and sat down. They sat there for a few moments, staring out over the pond. The sun was beginning to set and the surface of the lake was shimmering in the light.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" Ron asked her. Hermione just sat there for a while before answering.

"About the…the kiss," she stuttered. She was surprised to hear a laugh erupt from Ron.

"Oh, Mione. Don't worry about that. It was in the heat of the moment and nothing will come of it." Hermione looked into Ron's eyes to see them twinkling with laughter.

"What?"

"Well, I guess. After was happened. I guess I knew. I knew that you had some feelings. Some feelings for Fred," he stammered his face blushing to the same colour as his hair. Hermione looked at the ground feeling her cheeks go red.

"I…I…it's not like that," Hermione finally got out.

"Hermione, look at me." Hermione looked up, surprised to see Ron smiling over at her.

"I have no problem with you having a "relationship" with one of my brothers," he formed quotations marks in the air with his fingers when he said "relationship". Hermione couldn't supress her laugh. "I refuse to let anything get in the way of our friendship, even you becoming my sister-in-law. I just want you to promise me that if any of them cause you any problems you tell me and I can hex them." Hermione grinned at him.

"I didn't want to hurt you," she replied simply.

"You haven't. I may have had a crush on you –"

"What?" Hermione interrupted.

"Merlin, I thought you knew." Ron looked shocked as Hermione shook her head.

"Oh, well now you do I guess," he said sheepishly. "Anyway, I guess I just knew that it was never going to happen between us. You're my best friend and a second sister to me so it would have just been awkward if anything were to happen. Like I said, I wouldn't sacrifice our friendship for anything, not even a relationship."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed throwing herself at him. He blushed scarlet red but gave Hermione a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't talk to you about this earlier. You must have been so annoyed at me," Hermione finally said letting go of him.

"What? No way? You've had so many other things to think about. I don't mind at all. To be perfectly honesty I wasn't expecting you to bring it up for much longer. I guess it was the new law," Ron said honestly. "Talking about the law, what are you going to do about it?"

"I have absolutely no idea, Ron." Hermione looked down at the ground trying to avoid Ron's eyes.

"Well, don't feel you need my permission if it is one of my brothers," Ron smirked. He saw Hermione smile at the ground still not looking up at him.

"I really don't know Ron. I can't deny I had some feelings for Fred but he's just been ignoring me recently, as if I did something wrong," Hermione muttered to the ground.

"That git." Hermione looked up and stared at her friend. "You go and save his life and the way he repays you is by ignoring you. I swear I am going to hex him." Hermione saw him grip his wand in his right hand.

"No, Ron. Please don't. I completely get what's going on. He's probably just really confused. Anyway I think my near death experience made me realise that those feelings weren't real. He obviously never liked me like that and I don't want to ruin our friendship. I guess I'm over him now," Hermione confessed.

"That's not the point though Hermione. You saved his life. You risked your own life so he could live. Even if he never had feelings for you there's still no excuse for him to just ignore you. Please at least let me talk to him."

"Can I talk to him about it all first? And if we don't work it out I'll let you hex him into next week," Hermione asked sheepishly. Ron grinned.

"Of course." They sat there in silence for while until they heard Mrs Weasley calling them in for dinner.

 **(A/N: I hope you liked this chapter and it wasn't too long! Congrats to StarGirlPotter who kinda guessed what was going to happen! Please please please leave reviews - I love reading what you guys think and I am writing this for you so I would love to tailor it so you can enjoy it the most! Next Chapter will likely be at the weekend)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry it's been a while, I was planning on updating over the weekend but was super busy that I completely forgot! Here's Chapter 5 - hope you enjoy it and don't forget that I LOVE your reviews!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thanks! your reviews are always super helpful and I shall bear that in mind!**

 **xXMizz Alec VoluturiXx - thank you!**

 **StarGirlPotter - yeah you were! you really should try to write it if you can!**

 **cares 1970 - I know me too! I just never really see Hermione with Harry or Ron, they're all like siblings than anything else, but Hermione with another Weasley is definitely something I can root for!**

 **akammy - thanks! hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll hopefully update twice a week or so**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 5**

Everyone else was already sitting at the table when Ron and Hermione walked into the kitchen. Ron took the seat between Harry and George and Hermione between Charlie and Ginny.

"You two took your time, we've been staring at this food for so long I thought I was beginning to die of hunger," George said seriously.

"George! No need to exaggerate," Mrs Weasley exasperated. Once Ron and Hermione had sat down the Weasley's dived for the platters laden with delicious smelling food. It had always amused Hermione, and Harry to that matter, how much the Weasleys ate. They would have enough food to feed "a baby elephant" as Mrs Weasley would joke, and yet be hungry within a couple of hours of eating.

"Potatoes, Hermione?" Charlie asked. Hermione nodded and went to take the spoon to put some on her plate but Charlie beat her to it and carefully placed three roast potatoes on her plate. She thanked him kindly before accepting the plate of broccoli and sprouts from Ginny. As she poured herself a glass of water she noticed Charlie putting a small piece of fish on her plate. She blushed ever so slightly. She noticed how concerned he was about her and it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She saw Ron and Ginny make eye contact and snigger. She glared at them both.

"Where are Bill and Percy?" Hermione asked the table.

"Bill, understandably, decided to have some time with Fleur and Percy had a quick errand to run at the Ministry," Mr Weasley answered.

Dinner continued without any disruptions, the conversation was light and fun. Mrs Weasley had obviously told her children not to bring the law up at the dinner table, much to the relief of Harry and Hermione. Hermione managed to eat everything on her plate with any pain, which she figured to be a positive.

Once everyone had finished dessert, Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Ginny were left to tidy up while the boys went to play Gobstones.

"What are your plans this evening then girls?" Mrs Weasley asked as she put away the last plates with a flick of her wand.

"I was thinking of going to join the others play Gobstones," Ginny answered as Hermione yawned.

"Hermione! I completely forgot, what with everything that has happened today you only got back this morning – you really should have been resting today. How about you head off to bed? I can make sure everyone else is quiet so you can get some peace," Mrs Weasley said very apologetically.

"I think you're right Mrs – umm…Molly," Hermione finished after catching Molly's look. "I think I'll just make a hot squash and turn in if that's OK with you all."

"Of course it is my dear, would you like me to make it for you and bring it up?"

"Don't worry, Molly. I'll make it myself, thank you though."

"If you're sure. Good night Hermione and if you need anything please don't be afraid to ask," Molly finished beaming at Hermione.

"Would you like one too, Ginny?" Hermione asked as she turned on the kettle to boil some water.

"Oooh yes please," Ginny said excitedly sitting down at the table as Hermione reached for two mugs from the cupboard.

"You know, I should get mum to get you your own mug, and Harry too, given we all have our own and you're basically a Weasley now," Ginny said thoughtfully. Hermione smiled gratefully towards her best girl friend, looking down at the two mugs. Ginny's one had brooms, snitches, quaffles and bludgers zooming around the mug circling a large purple G. Ron's had packs of exploding snap cards and fighting chess pieces surrounding a maroon R. Fred and George's both had fireworks and other tricks surrounding their navy F & G. Percy's green P was surrounded by books, whilst Charlie's red C had flying dragons breathing fire and Bill's orange B had goblins and gold galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. Hermione heard the kettle finish and as she took it from it's stand she experienced the worst pain in her side she had felt causing her to drop the kettle spilling boiling water all over her legs and falling to the floor, writhing in pain.

"HERMIONE!" Ginny shouted as she ran over to her. "MUM!" Within seconds, Mrs Weasley came bursting into the kitchen, closely followed by Mr Weasley, Harry, Ron the twins and Charlie. With a flick of her wand, Mrs Weasley cleared away the kettle and boiling water.

"In the medicine cupboard, there's some burn cream. Can one of you go grab some quickly?" Mrs Weasley asked as she knelt down beside the now trembling Hermione. Ron summoned the cream to his and hand and handed it to Mrs Weasley. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione, rocking her gently as she shock with sobs.

"It's OK, dear. Everything's going to be just fine," Mrs Weasley soothed trying to open the bottle with shaking hands.

"Here, mum. Let me," Charlie offered taking the bottle from his mother and unscrewing the top before handing it back.

"I think we should give them some privacy," Harry suggested backing out of the room. The rest of the Weasley's followed, leaving Mrs Weasley and Ginny to tend to Hermione. They headed back to the living room in silence and sat down. Judging by the looks on all of their faces they were terrified with what had just happened. It hadn't even been a day since Hermione had been released from St Mungo's. Harry really doubted whether they should have let her go.

In the kitchen, Mrs Weasley had peeled Hermione's tracksuit bottoms off her lower legs and was now spreading the cream thickly over the fresh burns. Ginny watched her mother shocked. She had no idea what happened. One second Hermione was smiling about getting a mug the next she was on the floor as if she was under the cruciatus curse. Hermione's breathing began to slow back to normal. Ginny summoned a glass of water and helped Hermione take a sip.

"Thanks," she said almost inaudibly. Ginny gave her friend a squeeze. They sat there for a while, Hermione hiccupping occasionally and silent tears falling down Ginny's cheeks. She hated to see her best friend in so much pain.

"That should do. You shouldn't be able to feel anything tomorrow and it will leave minimal scarring," Mrs Weasley said standing up.

"Thank you both so much, I don't know what I would do without you," Hermione said weakly.

"It's quite alright, dear. You've still got a lot of healing to do and we will all support you through it. You did an incredibly brave thing and saved Fred. The only way to begin to repay you is to make sure you make a full recovery," Mrs Weasley said giving Hermione's shoulder a squeeze. Hermione felt fresh tears form in her eyes. She had never felt so loved by anyone other than her parents, and they were no longer really her parents.

A few minutes later, Hermione, with the help of Ginny, stood up and stumbled out of the kitchen. She barely made it into the living before grabbing hold of a chair to keep her balance. She didn't see Charlie walk over to them and scoop her up in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck and hid her face in his chest, feeling safe and secure. She felt him walk towards the staircase and climb the stairs towards Ginny's room. He kicked open the door and carried Hermione to the armchair in the corner and sat down. Once away from the rest of the Weasleys and Harry, Hermione began to cry again. Charlie held her in his arms stroking her hair. Hermione breathed in Charlie's smell. It was very distinctive, she had grown to recognise that each Weasley had their own distinctive smell. Charlie's was of fire and mud as well as freshly mowed grass and toothpaste. Hermione took a few more deep breaths before pulling away from Charlie.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie."

"About what?" he asked curiously.

"Your shirt."

"Oh, don't worry about. I guess I've got used to it now. I mean you have officially ruined my three favourite shirts," he smirked giving Hermione a wink.

"They're hardly ruined."

"Oh, I don't know. It took mum forever to get the snot stain out of the other one," Charlie teased. Hermione gave his chest a friendly slap but smiled up at him. They made eye contact and it was the first time Hermione was able to examine Charlie's eyes so closely. They were the usual Weasley brown yet had shades of red around the pupil spreading outwards. They were shaped slightly differently from Ron's; rounder and wiser looking. Hermione smiled to herself and her heart began to flutter. Not because of the accident but because of Charlie. She had never gotten to know him. He was just Ron and the twins' elder brother who lived in Romania working with dragons. She realised, now, that she wanted to get to know him. To know the story behind he passion for dragons. She wanted to know the reason behind every scar and burn that lined his young face. She leaned her head into his chest again and felt his heart beating, for the third time that day. She closed her eyes and began to doze off in Charlie's calming yet muscular grip.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione woke up and rolled over in her bed, not remembering Charlie place her there, to face Ginny's bed to see it empty, the covers folded back. She sat up and looked over at the armchair, not knowing what she wanted to see. Her heart sank slightly when she realised Charlie wasn't there and fell back onto her pillow. She felt stronger than yesterday and was just telling herself that she wouldn't let a bit of pain overcome her again like it had done the day before when she heard the door open. She looked over to see eyes peering through the crack.

"Ginny?"

"So you're finally awake sleepy-head." Ginny pushed open the door and walked over to her bed and sat down facing Hermione.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday. Not that it's particularly hard." Hermione grinned. "What time is it?"

"Oh you've been asleep for hours. It's 2:30."

"In the afternoon?" Hermione asked surprised. Ginny nodded.

"You slept for at least 17 hours. I was beginning to think mum had slipped you a sleeping draught."

"Well, I had better get up then," Hermione said sitting up.

"There's no rush, Mione. No one is about. Fred and George are at the shop. Dad and Percy are at work. Charlie is job-hunting and Harry and Ron are at Diagon Alley. Oh and mum's at the market in the village." Hermione collapsed back onto her pillow. The house was empty; she didn't need to feel guilty about not getting up quite yet. She was so warm and comfortable under the covers; she would happily stay there all day.

"You can stay in bed as long as you would like. You need to rest. You obviously did too much yesterday," Ginny said seemingly reading Hermione's thoughts. Hermione smiled as Ginny stood up and walked out.

"I'll bring a cup of tea up in a bit," Ginny said leaving the room.

Hermione was just pulling on her slippers when Ginny re-entered the bedroom 20 minutes later.

"Sorry, I got distracted."

"Don't worry I was just about to head down," Hermione said pulling a jumper over her wet hair and walking over to Ginny. She cast a quick drying spell at her hair before taking the mug from Ginny and following her out of the room and down the stairs to the living room. They both collapsed onto the sofa and starting chatting about nothing in particular.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Half an hour later, Hermione was just finishing her second cup of tea when Mrs Weasley appeared with a crack, laden with bags. Ginny and Hermione rushed over to help Mrs Weasley carry the bags full of food and other necessities to the kitchen.

"How are you feeling today, Hermione? You do seem to have more colour in your cheeks that yesterday," Mrs Weasley inquired as they started unpacking the food.

"A lot better, thank you. I think I managed to sleep most of it off," she answered putting four loaves of bread into the breadbasket. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she heard Ginny snigger at Hermione's face as she stared in horror.

"Want something to eat?" Ginny joked before staring at the floor under the quavering look from Mrs Weasley.

"How about a fry-up?" Mrs Weasley suggested.

"I think I'll just stick to some toast if that's OK. Saving myself for dinner tonight," Hermione finished after seeing Mrs Weasley eye her with a worried look. Hermione unwrapped the bread and flicked her wand and it began to spread itself with jam.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione had just curled up on the sofa with a book _Magical First Aid: What You Need To Know_ ; she was considering becoming a healer now the war was over, a cup of orange juice and a biscuit when Harry and Ron landed on the end of the sofa making her squeal with surprise and pain looking very dishevelled. She placed a hand to her side not noticing both Harry and Ron look at her in concern.

"Where have you two been?"

"Not so fast Mione," Ron said, "You're not just changing the subject so quickly." Hermione looked at him genuinely confused.

"You're still in pain," Ron nodded to where she had her hand on her side. Hermione looked down and withdrew her hand but the relief of pressure caused more pain and she placed it back there instantly.

"What? Oh no, that's fine. It's much better than yesterday – it's the first time it's hurt all day."

"I mean you have only been up for a few hours." Harry looked at her worriedly. "Without meaning to sound over-protective, don't you think it would be a good idea to have it checked out?"

"Harry. I will be fine. The Healers said I would be sore for a while. I was expecting it and I'm coping fine." Both Harry and Ron raised their eyebrows at her.

"I mean last night you looked exactly how you looked after Bellatrix tortured you at Malfoy Manor, this is much more than being sore," Ron expressed his concern.

"This is so different. I wasn't tortured; I was hit by a wall. It's hardly the same." Hermione was beginning to lose her patience.

"Mione, I'm tempted to say you're even worse than you were after Bellatrix," Ron coaxed.

"Don't Mione me. Please just drop it. It will sort itself out in a bit," Hermione pleaded tears filling her eyes. However, behind her anger she appreciated Harry and Ron's care for her.

"Fine. But if you still have pain in a week, we're taking you to St Mungo's. Deal?" Harry gave in not wanting for an argument to break out between them.

"Deal," Hermione sighed after a moments pause. "Anyway, you never told me what you were doing today."

"Well…" Harry cast a side look to Ron who nodded, "We've been accepted into Auror training that begins 1st July."

"Merlin's beard! Seriously? Oh my, I am so happy for you both. You deserve it so much," Hermione beamed at them. She scooted along the sofa and gripped them both in a tight hug.

"But, why didn't you tell me you were planning on doing this?" she asked releasing them from her hug.

"Because we didn't know. After Charlie took you to bed last night, Ron's dad asked us what our plans were for today. We didn't know so he told us that he had overheard two Aurors saying the department really needed some more recruits. So we sent an owl last night and got a reply this morning asking us to come in to see them today. They accepted us pretty quickly actually," Harry recounted.

"Without any NEWTs?"

"Yeah, they said that if we could either take them next month or at the end of August so we're going to do them in August but they won't really look at our results." Hermione looked at them surprised.

"How are you planning on learning a years worth of teaching in three months? Alongside your Auror training, there's no way in Merlin's beard you're going to be able to do it," Hermione exclaimed.

"You," Ron said simply.

"What?"

"Yes, Mione, you're going to teach us and then we'll all take them in August and pass with flying colours."

"Well…umm…I was kinda thinking of going back to Hogwarts next year," Hermione said sheepishly looking down at her pink fluffy slippers.

"What?" Harry and Ron almost shouted at her.

"No. Hermione, you can't go back. It'll ruin you. It will be so different and you won't know anyone –"

"I'll know Ginny."

"Hermione you can't. Hogwarts will be so different, nothing like what it used to be – you just won't enjoy it, especially if neither of us are there. You can so easily do them this summer and get on with your life. What's the point in wasting your talent by going back to school? That's just stupid. The world deserves to experience your geniousness, why hide it from them for another year just to be taught the content rather than teach it yourself? You're the brightest witch of your age, if there's anyone who can learn the NEWTs content in three months it's you. Plus we need you to help us, we're both clueless," Ron exclaimed. Hermione blushed dark red and took a few deep breaths before looking up at her best friends of seven years.

"Fine. You've convinced me."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to give in that easily. I was waiting to have to do a strip tease or something for you to agree." Hermione hit Ron on the shoulder and he fell laughing into Harry's lap.

"One condition though."

"What?" Harry asked smiling whilst pushing Ron back up.

"Actually two. One: you do it my way and there's no arguing or I'm leaving you to yourselves."

Harry gulped at the thought of Hermione's 'way', "And?"

"You're both coming with me to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get the books."

"But, Mione, I don't think you'll be able to go to Diagon Alley. You're not even –" but Ron gave up cowering under Hermione's glare. "OK, your way or we're dumped.

"Who's being dumped?" Charlie asked walking in through the back door.

"What? Oh, no one. Hermione's threatening to not teach us our NEWTs if we don't do it her way," Ron quickly answered. Charlie sniggered.

"Everything has to be done Granger's way doesn't it?" Hermione shoved Charlie, as he passed behind the sofa, so hard he was knocked to the floor.

"Alright. What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked clambering to his feet. His answer was a trio of laughs. He looked over at the trio and shrugged.

"Mad," he muttered to himself as he made his way into the kitchen to help his mother with dinner.

 **(A/N hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know if it was too long! and don't forget to leave reviews - they make me really happy to know you guys are actually reading ( & supposedly enjoying!) the story!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry about what happened, I have no idea what it was but hopefully it's sorted & now I will remember to double check it before uploading it! But here is (a normal version of!) Chapter 6 for you, I hope you enjoy it, it's not terribly exciting but I enjoyed writing this one! Thank you for the reviews!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thank you, I don't know why I thought of the mugs but I just did and they seemed cool!**

 **StarGirlPotter - thanks, hopefully I'll be able to put more of that in!akamanny - thank you, it means a lot!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thanks!**

 **RLyn96 - I know, a really good idea!**

 **\- Hermione'sPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 6**

Hermione was watching Fred finish his last mouthful of apple tart from across the table. Everyone else had finished and in typical Fred fashion he had eaten his pudding so slowly he was getting death stares from everyone else around the table. He finally put his fork down and wiped his mouth with the edge of his napkin.

"At bloody last. I thought I was going to reach my 60s before you finished," Ginny exclaimed standing up form the table.

"Ginerva, there is no reason for you to talk like that. Now sit back down. You're not leaving until you have apologised to your brother," Molly said sternly to her daughter. Ginny obliged and sat down staring daggers at her mother's back.

"So where's the apology, oh dear sweet sister?" Fred enquired in the sweetest voice he could muster. Everyone around the table roared with laughter as Fred began to imitate his sister. Fortunately, Ginny even found the funny side of it all.

"My, dear brother. How could I have ever been so immature as to behave that poorly? I do hope you would you will accept my sincerest apologies. I guarantee it shall never happen again, especially as I shall be eating slower than you," Ginny put on her poshest voice. Everyone continued to laugh and to Hermione's relief didn't notice her wince with pain.

"Your apology has been accepted but I do request a sister's kiss to heal the newly formed hole in my damaged heart," Fred replied clutching his chest. Ginny swiftly stood up and walked around the table and knelt down and began to kiss her brother's held-out hands. As Ginny stood up she gave Fred a friendly punch. He retaliated and began to chase after her sister, who took off and ran into the living room. Everyone could her Ginny's squeals as Fred caught her and began to tickle her. Seeing this as the cue, everyone stood up and walked next door to watch the show; George had joined his brother in torturing poor Ginny.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Fred. Can I have a word? In private?" Hermione asked tentatively as Fred sat down on the chair next to hers 10 minutes later.

"Of course Mione." He stood up and offered his hand to Hermione. She took it and together they headed outside into the dusk lit garden. Fred guided Hermione to the bench by the make-do Quidditch pitch and they both sat down. Hermione didn't say anything but rather gazed straight ahead towards the field housing the small lambs, hearing the occasional "Baaa".

"Is everything OK Mione?" Fred finally asked, obviously annoyed by the silence.

"Why have you been ignoring me?" she asked quietly. She felt Fred stiffen next to her. She looked over and to her surprise saw silent tears fall down his cheeks. She leaned hear head on his shoulder.

"I don't really know if I'm completely honest," Fred finally answered, "I guess when you were at St Mungo's and in such a bad shape I was terrified what might happen. You saved my life and there you lay likely to die and I was never able to thank you. It was just really hard. We all love you like a sister and you sacrificed so much to keep me apart of my family and knowing you were unlikely to survive just made it really hard. I didn't feel like I deserved this, for me to survive and you to die – and knowing your parents were oblivious to it all it just kind of hit home hard. I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to hurt you, I've just been in so much shock recently and it was just beginning to overwhelm me. I should have spoken to you sooner. Will you forgive me?" Fred looked down at Hermione and could see silent tears trickling down her cheeks. He lifted his arm and placed it around her waist. They sat there for a while before Hermione broke the silence.

"But why did you have to ignore me?"

"I guess it was because I never thought you would survive. I was always looking at the worst possible scenario and then you did survive and I was just so relieved but can never forget what you did for me. I didn't want to seem the coward in front of you."

"A coward? Fred, you're anything but a coward." Hermione looked up in surprise.

"In comparison to what you did I felt a bit like a coward and a part of me just couldn't face you. I'm so indebted to you and I just felt so guilty. Still do feel guilty."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about Fred. I made the decision. It was my fault. I couldn't bare the thought of seeing you die. Don't judge me but I was…I was really missing my parents and I thought that…that if maybe I did die I would be able to look after them better. " Hermione just finished her sentence before a stream of tears fell down her cheeks.

"I really miss them Fred." Fred barely heard her through her sobs. He wasn't quite sure what to do so he pulled her in closer and tightened his grip around her.

"It's OK to miss your parents. What you did for them was so brave. You looked after them admirably so don't for a second think you didn't. We will find them and we will help you get them back, I promise," Fred comforted her, "Just take deep breaths, in and out. In and out. Nice and slow." Fred stroked some of Hermione's curls off her face and tucked them behind her ear.

"I'm sorry. I've been a mess recently – I really need to pull myself togeth-" Hermione gave out a shout of pain and placed her hand on her side, moving Fred's out of the way.

"Hermione! Is everything OK?"

"Yes. It's fine. I'm just still getting a really bad pain. I would have thought by now it would be better but it keeps coming back."

""If you don't mind me asking what sort of pain is it?"

"It's really hard to explain. It's a combination of sharp stabs and a deep ache. When it's really bad, like last night, it's almost as if someone has their hand really tight around my organs and is twisting them," Hermione said through the obvious pain she was experiencing.

"How about we get you inside with a cup of something hot? Mum must have a pain relief potion as well," Fred suggested standing up. Hermione nodded and took Fred's hand and heaved herself up. They walked silently into the house. Hermione headed to the sofa whilst Fred walked towards the kitchen.

"Anyone want a cuppa?" he called walking into the kitchen. A chorus of "Yes please" came from the living room.

"That reminds me. Harry, Hermione, I got you both a present earlier," Molly exclaimed hurrying into the kitchen.

"Molly, you really didn't need to," Harry and Hermione replied together.

"Nonsense, it's just a little something. Ginny pointed it out to me this morning so I got them whilst I was out today," Molly replied reappearing with two packages. She handed the red one to Harry and the gold one to Hermione. Sharing a look, Harry and Hermione both opened their packages. A mug fell out into their laps. They held them up to examine them. Harry's was similar to Ginny's with all things Quidditch surrounding a red H. Hermione's was covered in books and she even spotted a few House Elves around the gold H.

"Mum! You finally got them a Weasley mug!" Ron exclaimed.

"Thank you so much Molly. It's incredibly kind of you," Hermione thanked the elder woman.

"Yes. Thanks a lot Molly," Harry echoed. Fred reappeared from the kitchen with a teapot full of steaming tea, the Weasley mugs and a plate of biscuits flying in front of him. He directed the tray to the table in the middle of the room before filling up everyone's mugs with tea. He distributed them out along with biscuits and everyone sat there for a few moments. Hermione was thinking about the pain she was experiencing. As she had explained it to Fred it reminded her of the pain she had felt after the Battle at the Department of Mysteries two years previously after Antonin Dolohov had hit her with a curse. She had been unconscious for a day but once she woke up the pain in her side was very similar to what she felt now. She had had similar pain after being tortured by Bellatrix; she shuddered at the memory of what had happened at Malfoy Manor. She began to realize that this pain was very unlikely to do with the wall landing on her. It must have been an old injury that had just been exacerbated by the wall. But why would she still be experiencing it two years later? She had figured that the spell Dolohov had cast was dark magic, very dark magic. But what if it wasn't just dark magic? What if it was long-lasting dark magic? It was then she realized she needed the Hogwarts' library now more than ever.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of birds. The sun was streaming through the curtains – she knew it was going to be a really nice day. She rolled over and saw ginger hair sticking out all over the pillow of the next-door bed. She got up and quietly walked out of the room. She headed to the bathroom and had a hot shower. As she re-entered Ginny's bedroom she saw Ginny begin to stir. She got changed quickly; a pair of white jeans; a blue shirt and blue ballet pumps. She tucked her wand in her back pocket and tied her thick, curly hair into a ponytail as she headed downstairs not wanting to disturb Ginny.

"Morning, Molly," Hermione said cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen seeing the elder woman sitting at the table with a cup of coffee reading the Daily Prophet.

"Morning, Hermione. Can I get you anything for breakfast?"

"No, don't worry. I'll get it myself, thanks." Hermione began busying herself making a cup of coffee and making herself a bowl of cereal.

"Anything new?" Hermione nodded towards the open paper.

"Not really, they found a few more Death Eaters last night and sent them to Azkaban but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary," Molly answered looking up at from the paper. She examined Hermione closely, who began to feel rather uncomfortable.

"Are you sure everything's OK, dear?" she finally questioned.

"Yes. I'm coping just fine thank you. I'm so indebted to you all, you really don't need to put me up."

"You're hardly indebted to us, dear. You saved Fred's life. The least we can do is look after you for however long you need." Molly gave Hermione a warming smile and again Hermione felt that warm feeling of love, caring and kindness.

"What are your plans today then?"

"I'm going with Harry and Ron to Diagon Alley to get some books for our NEWT exams. I'm assuming they told you about doing them this summer.

"Indeed they did. Would you mind picking up a few things for me?" Molly summoned a piece of parchment, quill and ink and began to write a list.

"So, dear. If Harry and Ron are thinking of becoming Aurors, may I ask what your thoughts are?" Molly asked without looking up from her list.

"I was thinking about a Healer actually. I was actually thinking about popping in today to talk to them about starting an internship or something similar in the autumn." Hermione finished her breakfast and cast a spell to wash up her bowl and mug.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione scooped out the last handful of Floo Powder from the bowl on the mantelpiece and followed Harry and Ron to "The Leaky Cauldron". She stumbled out of the fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron and Harry caught her by the waist to stop her from falling. She regained her balance and beamed at her two best friends. They headed towards the back courtyard, and the entrance to Diagon Alley. Hermione tapped the brick three up and two across form the rubbish bin and the wall formed an archway into Diagon Alley. The trio stepped out into the street and looked around. Last time they had been there was prior to breaking into Gringotts and it was almost in ruins. They had heard the Death Eaters had damaged it even more so they were pleasantly surprised to see it renovated and full of bustling witches and wizards.

40 minutes later they were heading to Florish and Blotts having just visited Gringotts to get money out. Hermione had found an old list of NEWT textbooks and sent Harry and Ron around the bookshop to pick them up whilst she went to the Magical Injuries aisle. She studied the books lining the shelves, some large and heavy others thin and small. An old, leather bound book took Hermione's particular interest. She picked it off the shelve and examined the front cover. The title span style="text-decoration: underline;"Magical Incantations: Signs and Symptoms – What to Do /spanwas etched elegantly in gold across the top. Hermione hurried and paid for the book, two Galleons, eight sickles and five knuts, before shoving it into her bag. She heard Harry and Ron in the back room so headed to find them in the Herbology area.

"Everything alright you two?" she asked causing them both to jump a foot into the air.

"Fine. We've got everything on the list," Harry replied. He paid for the books and five minutes later they were back in the sun.

"Just a few things we need to get for your mum, Ron and then we can get on our way," Hermione said as they headed into the Apothecary, followed by a trip to Scribbulus Writing Instruments and Wieacre's Wizarding Equipment.

"I think we need an ice-cream," Ron decided once they had picked everything up. Harry and Hermione murmured in agreement. They headed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, now run by Florean's nephew, ordered their ice creams and sat around a table outside in silence.

"Ron," Harry asked tentatively. Ron looked up from his chocolate and raspberry ice cream.

"How…how would you feel…if I…if I proposed to Ginny?" Ron chocked on a raspberry and Hermione hit on his back. Harry blushed.

"I…would be…fine…with it," he spluttered, "but…I…don't know…how the others…would take it. Obviously mum would cry…dad would be chilled…as would Percy and Bill…it's Charlie, Fred and George I would be worried about." Harry looked pensive.

"Are you really going to propose?" Hermione asked him.

"I dunno. I really like her, and I think she really likes me and I guess we would probably have ended up together but now that law was re-introduced it kind threw the spanners into the works. I've thought about it and I would love to spend the rest of my life with Ginny, and I have no one else to marry, so I was just going to get your permission. I obviously wouldn't do anything if you didn't want me to so I thought I would ask." Harry blushed even redder.

"I would be delighted to have you as a brother-in-law, mate. I'll help you survive the wrath from Fred and George," Ron smiled to Harry.

"Actually, we could go ask them now given that we're here," Ron suggested. Harry looked terrified at the thought.

"Maybe in a few days. I need to work out what I'm going to say."

"If you say so. Hey Hermione what's the matter?" Ron turned his attention to Hermione who had turned very pale and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"What? Oh nothing. I was just thinking about this ruddy law." Tears began to silently spill down her cheeks.

"Look, Hermione. It'll be fine – please don't worry. You'll find someone. And if you don't I'm sure one of my brothers would take you up on the offer to save you from being allocated someone randomly." Harry kicked Ron's shin hard under the table.

"Ow. Harry why did you kick me?" It was Harry's turn to go pale.

"Merlin! Sorry Hermione, I was trying to kick this idiot." Ron sniggered.

"Don't worry. I knew what your intentions were. And Ron, don't be a prat." Hermione wiped her eyes and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to head to St Mungo's-"

"What? Why? What's going on?"Harry and Ron both said in shock. Hermione managed a giggle.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask them if they had an internship course available in September I could join. I'm thinking of becoming a Healer," she explained seeing the looks of confusion etched on her friends' faces.

"That's awesome Mione. Do you need us to come with you?" Ron asked eagerly. Hermione smiled acknowledging his concern.

"Oh no. Don't worry I'll be absolutely fine. I was planning on getting muggle transport there in any case to remind myself that the muggle world exist."

"Are you sure Mione?"

"Yes, I promise." With that she headed back towards The Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London.

 **(A/N: Again I am sosososo sorry about what happened to the format but anyways what did you think? BTW all of those shops are legit shops in Diagon Alley - it seems like such a cool place and I really want to be able to visit it, yes I know there's the Warner Bros Studio but it's just not quite the same! Anyway don't forget to leave the reviews!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 for you, it's quite a bit shorter but more exciting (+ I liked where I ended it!) - I loved writing it! Also I'm going to be adding a new story soon so keep an eye out for it!**

 **Thank you to everyone who pointed out the weird problems with the past chapter to me! Much appreciated!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolutriXx - thank you!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thanks!**

 **\- Hermione'sPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 7**

Hermione landed unsteadily in an alley way and fell to the floor. She was in a lot of pain. She knew apparating was likely to cause her this pain but it had been necessary. She lay on the cool, hard floor breathing deeply trying to block out the stabbing pain in her side. Once the pain subsided enough she got up to her feet and walked towards Hogsmeade's High Street. Keeping her head down she turned left and headed towards the path up to the school. Once out of sight from the High Street she looked up towards the school, facing the south side of the castle. The east and north side walls had already been renovated. Many of the towers were non-existent. The windows were smashed and there was hardly a south wall. She was convinced she could also see smoke billowing from the forest. It had been two weeks since she was last here and she felt tears filling her eyes to see her beloved school in such a bad state. She continued down the path getting closer to the school.

She reached the oak front doors. One was still standing the other was not. She sneaked through the doors and looked around aghast. She took in the extreme damage the battle had caused. The doors and wall separating the Great Hall from the Main Entrance Hall had been blasted away. The Great Hall's ceiling was no longer enchanted and Hermione finally saw it. It was domed and covered in wooden beams. Three holes had been exploded away and the south facing wall wasn't there. The house hourglasses were shattered and red, green, blue and yellow jewels were littering the floor. She wrenched her eyes away from the terrible sight and looked up the stairs. They weren't moving and half of them had been blown apart. She placed her left foot on the bottom stair and started making her way up the steps, avoiding those that were no longer there. She made her way in silence to where she knew the library was. It was easy to tell which parts of the castle had already been fixed – not much. She had to make many detours due to missing staircases and corridors but twenty minutes later she found herself on the other side of the castle outside the library. She pushed open the door, glad to find it wasn't locked and walked into her sanctuary. Compared to the rest of the castle, it had received little damage – either that or it had already been repaired.

"Lumos," she muttered to guide her through the shelves, not that she needed any help. She knew the library like the back of her hand, almost better than her own muggle house. Surprisingly, she felt a few butterflies walking among the shelves towards the Restricted Section. The castle was eerily quiet and she wasn't that much of a fan. She reached the Restricted Section of the library and pushed the door open. But it didn't open.

"Alohomora," she whispered. To her surprise she heard the locks click having expected it to have been locked more securely; left a few seconds and pushed the door for a second time. It squeaked open. She headed towards the back end of the Restricted Section, knowing that was where varying books regarding darker magic were hidden. Upon reaching the final aisle she set down her bag and lit a portable blue flame. It lit the aisle up in a blue glow and helped warm Hermione up. She scanned the shelves looking for books that jumped out at her.

It wasn't until the fourth shelf from the bottom she noticed one that seemed to be particularly useful. The Handbook to the Dark Spells printed in white on a navy book. She summoned it towards her and flipped open the book. She only looked at a few pages to realise this book was likely to have her answers. Simultaneously she was horrified that Hogwarts would hold such a dark book. There were moving illustrations of all the spells, some of them Hermione would never have believed to exist. One particularly gruesome one on the second page was permanently etched into Hermione's memory, much to her dismay. It caused the sufferer to experience continuous immense pain behind the eyes and every time they would see something specified by curser their eyes would transfigure into needles and poke into their brains. The longest time a registered sufferer survived was only four days and 13 hours. Hermione shuddered at the thought yet stuffed the relatively small book into her bag.

She continued to scan the shelves until another book caught her eye, most likely because it was so small in comparison to the others surrounding it. She summoned it. Red writing that looked and even smelt horribly like blood shone on the front cover Potions and Spells for Death Madame Pompfrey had told her she was lucky to have survived the curse so thinking it was a spell aimed to kill Hermione placed the second book in her bag.

Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. She put out the blue flame, grabbed her bag and hurried away from where she was standing.

"I reckon they'll be in the Restricted Section," a gruff voice whispered. Panicking Hermione cast a disillusionment charm and hid in the darkest corner of the Restricted Section. The footsteps were getting closer and then the stopped.

"I thought it was always locked," a different, younger sounding voice said. It sounded very familiar to Hermione.

"Someone must have been here recently," the gruff voice replied. Hermione could hear her heart hammering in her chest.

"Makes it easier for us." They two men started walking again down various aisles. Hermione took her chance and left her hiding place. She ran for the door and darted out of it. Unfortunately she knocked into a shelf on the way out causing multiple books to tumble off their shelves and land with varying bangs and thuds on the ground.

"That way!" one of the men shouted. Hermione heard the footsteps running after her. Her disillusionment charm disappeared as she ran. She skidded around corners and down aisles trying to lose her chasers. She caught sight of the door and to her horror it swung shut and she heard it click as it locked. She cast a quick look over her shoulder to see two, hooded figures catching up with her.

"It's the Granger mudblood," the familiar voice shouted./

"Crucio," the gruff voice yelled. Hermione threw herself behind a shelf escaping the Unforgiveable Curse. Landing on the floor caused immeasurable pain erupt in her side. It forced her eyes shut and she began writhing in pain. The two men stopped in front of her obviously assuming she was under the Cruciatus Curse. Hermione could sense the glee in the air.

"Well, well, well, Granger. Not as clever as everyone thinks. Turning up at Hogwarts all by yourself without any help." Hermione had stopped writhing in pain but rather lay still, her breathing rapid and shallow. She could feel her heart beating hard and fast inside her chest. She was beginning to panic. She had been caught and was all-alone. The Weasleys thought she was at St Mungo's. She would die at the hands of these two men and no one would ever know.

"I'm no less clever than you two are," she said as strongly as she could muster. Without moving her head she cast a look at the two men. Both of them had their wands by their sides. If she could keep them talking for longer they would relax even more and become unprotected. She would then be able to seize the moment, attack and flee.

"What makes you say that? At least there are two of us."

"I can't but notice you're hiding your appearance. That makes me think you both know full well you're not meant to be here. If you're caught you'll both be sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban," Hermione answered calmly.

"And what makes you think we'll get caught?"

"I would be very surprised if the Ministry just left Hogwarts unprotected and available for prying eyes. No doubt there are Aurors walking the corridors. The will be plenty of spells about. I would be not only surprised, but I guess also impressed, if you made it in did whatever you needed to do and made it out without getting caught."

"We're not as stupid as you think we are," the gruff voice said irritably.

"Oh, I'm not calling you stupid at all. In fact you must be clever to have escaped once Voldemort had been killed. But there is undeniably a bit of stupidity in your brains somewhere. Who else would turn up on a Sunday to raid the Hogwarts library? You're both up to something and if you let me go I promise I won't tell anyone about you."

"You promise? Ha, as if you're not going to go running to wee Potter and Weasley. We'll accept your promise through an Unbreakable Vow." Hermione gulped. In her head she sent a stunning spell. It hit the elder man in the chest and he crumpled in a heap. Just as the other shouted "Stupefy" Hermione cast a protective shield. The spell bounced off and scraped her opponent's arm. Unfortunately it didn't make enough contact to have an effect.

"Expelliarmus," Hermione said in her head but he had also cast a protective shield. Hermione was too weak to stand up. She knew that if she didn't disarm him immediately she would lose. She sent two more disarming and stunning spells. The protective shield prevented any of the spells making contact with her opponent. They both continued sending varying stunning and disarming spells at each other but to no avail. Their protective shields were doing their job. An idea popped into Hermione's head and so she sent a stunning spell not at the Death Eater but towards the shelf behind her opponent. The shelf trembled and collapsed. Her opponent released his protective shield. Hermione cast as disarming spell and his wand went flying as he ran away from the falling books. Hermione summoned a book. As she caught it she yelled, "Portus." She felt the usual pull behind her navel and disappeared just as the shelf collapsed on top of the elder Death Eater.

Hermione landed with a thump in the alley in muggle London she had disapparated from. Her heart was racing and her breathing rate with still shallow and fast. She lay there for a few minutes and closed her eyes. She tried to block out what had just happened and focused on strength and warmth as she tried to calm down. She began to feel better and pushed herself into a sitting position. She looked over at the book she had used as a portkey now laying a few metres to her left. She reached over and picked it up turning it over to look at the front: Potion Cures. Hermione smiled to herself and stuffed it into her bag. She rummaged around in the bag until she felt a small round object and pulled out a mini mirror, one of the few muggle artifacts she carried around everywhere. She examined herself in the mirror and couldn't help giving out a laugh at the state of her. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and sticking up all over the place. Her face was covered in black marks and she noticed a deep cut on her forehead. Her shirt was ripped and her white jeans stained. Her shoes were even beginning to fall apart. She cast a few spells and examined her appearance for a second time. She was back to normal, other than the large cut on her head. She had managed to stop the bleeding and make it smaller but her Healing abilities weren't good enough to completely remove it. She would have to come up with an excuse when she made it back to The Burrow. Satisfied she stood up, picked up her bag and made her way back to The Leaky Cauldron.

 **(A/N: mwaha, bet you weren't expecting that! Hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to leave me a review with your thoughts!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 for you, hope you enjoy it! Hopefully a few questions will be answered in this one and the next.**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you! She will at some point!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thanks so much!**

 **jmullinax - thank you, hope you enjoy the next chapters!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 8**

"Where have you been Mione? We've been worried sick," Ginny exclaimed as Hermione straightened up having just Floo'ed back to The Burrow.

"Oh, nothing really. There was lots of traffic and took me forever to get there and then I waited in a queue for ages before getting told to come back another time. Getting back to The Leaky Cauldron took forever as it was rush hour," Hermione lied. Judging by the looks on everyone's faces they believed her.

"What happened to your head, dear?" Molly asked concerned.

"Oh, I was stupid enough to fall over my own feet and hit my head on the curb."

"The what?" Ron asked.

"The edge of the pavement, Ronald."

"As long as you are OK, that's the main thing," Mrs Weasley said standing up. She headed towards the kitchen passing Hermione and giving her a pat on her shoulder.

"You know you could have just floo'ed from St Mungo's here. It's all connected up," Ron said indignantly.

"I know but it was such a nice day and I just needed a bit of time myself."

"Fair enough." Harry and Ron went back to their game of Wizarding Chess. Ginny was brushing Crookshanks whilst watching them both so Hermione headed upstairs for a shower.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione re-entered the living room wearing navy jean shorts and an oversized Gryffindor crew neck jumper. Charlie, who had got back from the Ministry, was sitting on the sofa chatting to Ginny looked up and couldn't stop himself from gaping at the long, slender brown legs. He had known her legs were great but in reality they were perfect. Ginny prodded him in his side noticing his eyes follow Hermione to the chair opposite them. Hermione grinned to herself before opening the bottle of ink and began creating a schedule for herself, Harry and Ron for the next months.

"What the Merlin's beard is that?" Ron exclaimed in disgust as he pointed at the timetable Hermione had just devised.

"It's our work schedule, honestly Ronald. Different colours represent the different subjects and if you tap the box it flashes with more information for that session. For example, in our Herbology session tomorrow we're going to revise Snargaluff pods. You're going to have to abide by it if you want to pass any of the exams," Hermione reminded Harry and Ron. Ron coughed in disgust looking down at the timetable. He knew it had been a mistake they asked Hermione for help. But then again she was their best shot at actually getting some NEWTs.

"Dinner's ready," Mrs Weasley called from the kitchen. Everyone jumped up and headed to the deliciously smelling food. Hermione sat down between Ginny and Harry as Charlie sat opposite her between Fred and Percy. There was a gentle conversation as everyone began to heap lamb casserole onto their plates and began to tuck-in.

"So when are you planning on going back to St Mungo's, Mione?" Ginny asked as the pudding was served.

"I'm not so sure yet. Probably later this week once I've got back into the swing of working I guess," Hermione shrugged. She hadn't really thought of it.

"Maybe someone could go with you this time," Ron suggested.

"I hardly think I need help floo'ing to St Mungo's and back," Hermione replied tartly.

"Just a suggestion, you don't need to bite my head off." Hermione didn't reply. She knew if she did it would likely result in an argument.

"So, thoughts on who's going to win the Quidditch World Cup this summer?" Mr Weasley asked the silent table, trying to ease the brewing tension between Ron and Hermione.

"I reckon Bulgaria have to be up there without a doubt what with Krum and all and they'll want revenge from last time," Percy replied to his father.

"There's no way Ireland won't make it to the final, their draw is so easy – Egypt, Slovenia and Malaysia and they're even better than they were four years ago," Charlie said. Hermione grinned, Charlie was probably the biggest Irish fan of the family, and he knew the team inside out as if he was captaining them himself.

"England might had a shot this year," Ginny piped in.

"Doubt it. They've lost their two best players, Coleman and Frank from last time so I'll be surprised if they make it out of the group stages," Ron said.

"Who's in their group?" Hermione asked, she knew very little about the upcoming World Cup.

"Japan, Canada and Chile. They will definitely beat Chile; lose to Canada so their result against Japan will decide if they progress or not, which no doubt they'll lose," Charlie answered taking in Hermione's chocolate brown eyes. "We'll have to try and get tickets for some games, the Chile-England game is up in Durham. It would be nice to watch them win." Everyone murmured in agreement.

"I'll see what I can do for the tickets," Mr Weasley said.

"We think Canada have a shot-" Fred started.

"They lost to Ireland-"

"In the semis-"

"Last time-"

"And it was very close-"

"Only 310-280." George finished. Everyone giggled; they always finished each other's sentences. The conversation continued about Quidditch for quite a while longer. Hermione knew only very little so couldn't get involved. She kept on sliding into her own thoughts about earlier. Why had there been two Death Eaters at Hogwarts? What were they doing? Why the library? And the Restricted Section too? What did they mean 'makes it easier for us'? And why did they chase Hermione? What did they want from her? Question after question flowed through her mind; Hermione was unable to answer any of them.

"Mione? Mione!" someone shouted her name far off. She shook her head and returned to the present. She looked around to see everyone staring at her.

"Who are _they_? And what did _they_ want?" Ron asked worried.

"What? Oh nothing, I was just thinking," Hermione stammered.

"Anyone for a game of Exploding Snap?" Ginny interrupted before Ron could further question Hermione.

"Yes," there was a chorus of replies from the other Weasley children, Harry and Hermione. They headed for the living room and sat in a circle on the floor as Ginny dealt out the cards. Hermione avoided looking at Ron. She didn't want him asking any more questions. She was worried what else she had said out loud. She tried to forget about it all and focus on the game.

"I'm going to go to bed now," Hermione said standing up after losing six rounds in a row. Everyone looked up at her confused but she ignored them and headed up to Ginny's room.

"What's going on with her?" Ginny asked once she knew Hermione was out of earshot.

"I dunno but there's definitely something," Harry said.

I am a bit worried about her," Ron admitted. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"She's just going through a tough patch right now. She'll get through it and will be fine," Charlie reassured them, "I'm just going to check that she hasn't disapparated somewhere." He stood out and climbed the spiralling stairs to Ginny's room.

"She wasn't at St Mungo's this afternoon was she?" Ginny asked.

"I doubt it," Harry sighed.

"It's not like her to lie though."

"True, but I'll be surprised if she was actually there. Her story just doesn't add up and she's too out of it to have been there."

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione pretended to be asleep when she heard Charlie check on her, and also when Ginny came to bed an hour later. But her brain was working non-stop. She had experienced this a number of times at Hogwarts and not be able to get any sleep. When she was convinced Ginny, and the other Weasleys, were all asleep she got out of bed, grabbed a book from her bedside table and padded softly downstairs.

"Lumos." She went into the kitchen and made a cup of hot chocolate and grabbed a biscuit from the cupboard before heading to an armchair in the living room. She flicked on the table lamp beside her and opened the book;Magical Incantations: Signs and Symptoms – What to Do and turned to the first page.

 _Got hit by a spell? Don't know what has happened? Want to diagnose yourself before going to a Healer? This is the book for you. Every possible magical incantation giving moderate to severe symptoms are listed. This book will tell you what to do next._

Hermione flipped through the book scanning over symptoms of various spells, none of which matched what she was experiencing. She came across a couple that would have one or two similar symptoms but not enough for Hermione to think it was those spells.

At about 1:30 she heard footsteps on the stairs. She cast a quick transfiguration spell to change the book she was holding into a NEWT textbook so as not to look suspicious. A few moments later a tassel-haired, tired looking Charlie plodded into the living room. He didn't even notice the light was on let alone that Hermione was sitting there and walked into the kitchen. Hermione could here him waling about, obviously making himself something to eat or drink. Her emerged carrying a mug of something steaming and began walking towards the staircase. As he cast a spell to turn off the light he looked over and practically jumped a foot into the air, spilling his dink all down his legs. Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"What in Merlin's beard are you doing down her Hermione?"

"I couldn't sleep so came to read."

"But, you were asleep earlier."

"Ever heard of something called faking? It's something I'm particularly good at," Hermione smirked. Charlie walked over towards Hermione's chair and plopped himself down on the sofa. He stared intently into her chocolate brown eyes.

"What's going on Mione? You've seemed very distant lately. Is everything OK?" Charlie asked. He was concerned about Hermione. He cared for her and hated to see her struggle.

"Fine, thanks Charlie."

"You promise me that you would tell me if something was troubling you?" Hermione nodded and Charlie was surprised to see tears fill her eyes.

"Come here, Mione." He patted the sofa next to where he was sitting. Hermione put her book on the table and curled up next to Charlie resting her head on his chest. Charlie reached behind him and pulled the blanket over the two of them.

"I was so scared, Charlie."

"It's OK, Mione. You're safe now; no one's going to hurt you. You and I will be fine as will everyone else. There's no one left to hurt any of us."

"There is," Hermione mumbled into Charlie's chest. It was so quiet Charlie almost missed the two words. He felt a shiver down his spine. What had she meant?

"There are people left, Charlie."

"I'm sorry but I don't understand."

"I…I wasn't as St Mungo's today-"

"Well, that's not much of a surprise," Charlie interrupted. Hermione lifted her head and glared at him.

"I…I went to Hogwarts."

"You what?" Charlie almost shouted.

"I needed some books from the library," Hermione explained

"Hermione Jean Granger. Are you stupid? You went to Hogwarts all by yourself, without even telling anyone." Hermione could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

"I…I thought you would have all stopped me. And…and I really needed these books."

"Hmmm."

"You're mad at me aren't you?"

"Hermione, I'm not going to lie, what you did was rather stupid. If you had just explained why you needed to go I would have accompanied with you, and no doubt everyone in my family would have done the same. Just please don't do that again and never think we would stop you. We would all have wanted to help you so please, I beg you, please don't go wandering off to places like Hogwarts alone again." Hermione sensed disappointment in Charlie's voice and felt very ashamed of herself. Thinking about it, every single Weasley, and Harry, would have gone with her if she had just asked.

"I'm sorry Charlie, I don't know what I was thinking," Hermione said bowing her head in embarrassment.

"It's alright, Mione. Just don't do it again. Now, tell me what happened," Charlie said giving Hermione's shoulders a squeeze. Hermione explained every small detail to Charlie, including the ruin that was Hogwarts, the untouched library, the locked Restricted Section. To her relief, Charlie didn't question why she was in the Restricted Section. She told him about the voices she heard, the disillusionment charm, how she tried to run away but they caught up with her, how she experienced the worse pain to how she managed to escape.

"It was horrible Charlie. Thinking I was going to die and no one would know what had happened or where I was," she finished.

"There, there, Mione. You survived it and you're safe here. Nothing and no one is going to hurt you. You may have been an idiot going back to Hogwarts but you faired admirably. You stayed cool and collected and you got away. I promise they are not going to touch you ever again. We are all going to protect you, I promise." Charlie kissed her forehead and pulled her in tighter.

"And promise me you won't tell anyone? Please I can't worry them all, it was nothing and I've overreacted."

"Firstly it wasn't nothing and secondly you did not overreact."

"But, please Charlie. Please don't tell them. I will tell them when the time is right but just not yet. Please," she begged him.

"Fine, but promise me you will tell everyone soon or else I will."

"OK." Charlie heard Hermione sniff and he stroked her hair. He turned off the light and they sat there in silence. About 10 minutes later he heard Hermione's breathing rate slow to a sleeping rate. He carefully stood up and laid her head on the cushion. He tucked the blanket tightly around her and gave her a last kiss on the head before going back to bed.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed this chapter, trying to add some more Hermione-Charlie time! Do leave reviews, I find them super helpful enjoy knowing what you guys think!)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 for you, it's quite a bit shorter so sorry about that, hope you enjoy it though and it answers a few questions.**

 **Red Garden Gnome - yeah, you're right now that I come think about it, I guess I was just trying to get across that she had been a bit silly but maybe took it a bit far but thanks though :)**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you!**

 **jmullinax - here you go!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 9**

Mr Weasley spat his orange juice over the front page of the Daily Prophet. Everyone stared at him in shock but he continued to read the article.

"What is it Arthur?" Mrs Weasley asked impatiently, slowly losing the colour from her face, from the other end of the breakfast table when he finally scanned the last sentence. He turned the paper around to show the rest of the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. They stared in surprise.

'DEATH EATER BREAK IN AT HOGWARTS' was printed in large writing above a picture of the Hogwarts ruins. Hermione gulped.

"What does the article say, Percy?" Charlie asked his brother, as Percy was the closest to the paper.

 _At approximately 3:30 yesterday afternoon some Death Eaters broke into the site of the recent battle, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Aurors appeared at the scene to find the library subject to occupation. One elderly man thought to be in his mid-forties, who is yet to be identified, was laying unconscious under a collapsed shelf. There were skid marks and marks from spells around the area, it is thought there were others involved in a skirmish, how many is unknown. No one else was to be found, although the Restricted Section's door was unlocked. It is believed the Death Eaters were trying to get books about Dark Magic before being caught by a member of Dumbledore's side. Whoever it was got away using a Portkey and can be thought to be unharmed. The other Death Eaters did, however, get away. The public has been warned that there are likely to be some Death Eaters about, who escaped from the battle before being captured. If you see one do not approach them but rather contact the Ministry immediately._

There was silence around the table. Everyone looked shocked. Everyone except Hermione. She had known it was going to replace the marriage law as the headline. Charlie glanced over at Hermione, unsurprised by the look on her face.

"I thought the Ministry had caught them all. Dad you said they were all in Azkaban," Ron finally blurted out.

"We thought we had," Mr Weasley replied loosing the colour in his face. He and Percy stood up simultaneously, not even looking at each other, both of their faces looking grim.

"Where are you going?" Mrs Weasley asked them both.

"We had better get into work now Molly dear," Mr Weasley answered hurrying to the fireplace. Charlie continued to stare at Hermione but Hermione averted her eyes.

"Harry. Ron. I'll see you in Ginny's room in 20 minutes," she said standing up and leaving the kitchen and heading for the stairs.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

The day continued, surprisingly, without any interruptions. Everyone was anxious to hear anything from Mr Weasley but nothing came, they assumed it wasn't a bad thing. Harry, Ron and Hermione started on Herbology, Potions, Charms and Transfiguration NEWT revision. Hermione had decided to dedicate that week to revising 6th Year.

"She's crazy," Ron moaned grumpily to Harry as they left Ginny's room and headed downstairs at 5 o'clock that evening. Hermione had worked them almost harder than any of the teachers had.

"Just go with it. She's doing what's best for us," Harry answered as they grabbed some snacks from the kitchen.

"Doesn't make it any better though," Ron muttered.

"How's work going?" Ginny asked perkily looking up from her Holyhead Harpies magazine.

"Awful," Harry said.

"Dreadful," Ron replied.

"I've forgotten everything."

"Hermione is driving us crazy."

"And this is stuff we've already been taught."

"She's nuts."

"We're going to fail."

"Doesn't she know we're not as clever as she is?" Ginny laughed at the cranky boys as they sat down either side of her.

"What'cha reading?" Harry asked giving Ginny a peck on the cheek.

"Oh, nothing exciting just the latest Holyhead Harpies' magazine," Ginny said returned Harry's kiss. They made eye contact and their lips met for a long kiss.

"Alright LoveBirds, either break it up or leave." Harry and Ginny laughed and pulled apart blushing slightly, Harry not letting go of Ginny's waist and looked to where the voice had come from. Fred and George had just walked in through the door. Their hair was wet so the other three took it that it was still raining. It had started raining at 10 o'clock that morning and was still going.

"Where is everyone?" George asked pulling off his dripping jacket and hanging it up.

"Why are you so wet?" Ginny asked, ignoring her elder brother's question.

"We took a walk."

"In this weather? You've got be mad."

"I wouldn't say we're not but we needed some ideas for new products and they come to us better when we're outside in the natural habitat," George answered, "But as I already asked and you all kindly ignore me, where is everyone?"

"Dad, Percy and Charlie are still at work. I guess it's been manic after what happened at Hogwarts. Mum's writing a letter to someone and Hermione's upstairs," Ginny answered picking up her magazine. Fred and George headed over to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with biscuits.

"Exploding Snap anyone?" George asked summoning the pack of cards. Harry and Ron nodded.

"I'm just going to check on Mione, I'll be down in a minute," Ginny said setting her magazine down and hurrying to her room.

"Mione?" she asked as she pushed open the door.

"Hi, Gin. Everything OK?" she replied looking up from the book.

"Yeah, fine thanks. Fred, George, Harry and Ron are playing Exploding Snap and I just came to see if you wanted to join in," Ginny walked over and sat on the end of her bed.

"I'll just finish this section and will come down." Ginny tried to have a look at the book but Hermione had strategically covered the title with her hand.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh, nothing exciting. Just the Potion textbook, trying to remind myself of some of the potions we need to know," Hermione lied.

"OK, well we'll be downstairs," Ginny replied, knowing full well Hermione wasn't telling the whole truth but not wanting to argue.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Mr Weasley, Charlie and Percy arrived back at The Burrow much later than normal that evening. Everyone else was waiting for their return before eating. The conversation at the dinner table slowly drifted towards the break-in at Hogwarts.

"Have you caught any Death Eaters?" Ron asked with a mouthful of lasagne.

"No, not today. We're still looking though, mainly trying to find out how many Death Eaters there were at Hogwarts," Mr Weasley replied.

"How many do you think there were?" Ginny asked.

"We're not sure, we reckon four or five."

"There were only two." Everyone dropped their cutlery to their plates and stared at Hermione, Ron choking on some food, Harry's mouth growing ever larger in size and everyone else unblinkingly. It was so quiet a pin drop would have been heard.

"W…What?" Fred finally managed.

"There were only two Death Eaters," Hermione repeated looking down at her food.

"How…how do…do you know?" George stuttered.

"I…I was there," Hermione said quietly, avoiding everyone's eyes and looking down at her food. This was too much for Mrs Weasley, who let out a shriek and started to cry.

"You didn't go to St Mungo's did you?" Harry asked her reaching across the table and giving her hand a squeeze. Hermione shook her head not lifting her gaze up from her plate.

"I needed some books from the Hogwarts library. So…so I went there but…but two Death Eaters were also there." Hermione told them the whole story, just how she had told Charlie the night before.

"Do you know why there were there?" Mr Weasley asked once Hermione had finished.

"No idea, they obviously wanted something from the Restricted Section though."

"Hmm…interesting, but why did they chase after you?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It must be something to do with defeating Voldemort. They knew who I was and that's the only thing I can think of. But, it could be anything – maybe they thought I was preventing them from finding what they needed," Hermione shrugged.

"How did they know who you were?"

"Well, I mean my photo has been all over the Daily Prophet," Hermione suggested averting her eyes from Mr Weasley.

"But how have they been able to see the Daily Prophet. That would have required going into the Ministry or Diagon Alley," Mr Weasley asked curiously.

"Owl post," Hermione replied. The Weasleys nodded in agreement.

"I might need to get Kingsley to enforce a ban on owl post –"

"What help will that do though?" Percy asked. Everyone stared at him.

"It will stop any other Death Eaters from being up to date with what is going on," Mr Weasley answered.

"But that's not going to help us catch the Death Eaters," Charlie said. Everyone looked over at him, "I mean surely you could trace each of the owl's to find out where they are all going and check out all of the houses. Obviously the vast majority will go to wizarding houses, such as here, but there could be a few going to unregistered sites and you may be able to catch some Death Eaters that way." Everyone nodded to show their support with the idea and Hermione flashed Charlie a bright smile, who returned one just a large back at here.

"But what I don't get is why there were Death Eaters a) at Hogwarts and b) still roaming the country. I makes me feel that there are a lot more about," Mrs Weasley voiced everyone's thoughts.

"You say there were only two Death Eaters, do you know who they were?" Mr Weasley finally asked Hermione, ignoring the murmuring at the table.

"Arthur," Mrs Weasley growled, "Stop interrogating the poor girl."

"No, Molly. It's fine – I can help," Hermione looked over at Mrs Weasley who shrugged. She turned back to Mr Weasley, "I didn't recognise the older man. But the one who got away. It was Draco Malfoy."

 **(A/N: just a little twist, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please do leave reviews as they really help!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter - much longer to make up for the really short one last time! Also please go check out my new story (Healing the Grangers)!**

 **Princess Leasha - here you go!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - haha whoops!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - oh dear, sorry obviously didn't really think**

 **cares 1970 - thanks so much!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 10**

Hermione was glad to hear her alarm clock finally go off at 8 o'clock the next morning – she hadn't slept very well at all, mulling over the conversation from the night before. It wasn't exactly the way she had planned on telling Harry and Ron where she had been. But at the same time she felt a huge weight lift off her chest and relief flooded through her when she first told them. She rolled over and hit her alarm clock, switching it off. She heard Ginny groan as she woke up. Hermione got out of bed and headed for the communal bathroom.

Once she had brushed her teeth, showered and got changed into a navy skirt and blue strappy top she headed downstairs to the kitchen. The sun was streaming through all of the windows; she knew it was going to be a hot summer's day. Charlie was sitting at the table, by himself reading the Daily Prophet.

"Morning, Charlie," Hermione greeted the second eldest Weasley as she entered the kitchen and summoned a bowl and some cereal.

"Hi, Hermione. Sleep well?" he smiled up at her.

"Dreadful. I don't think I slept for a minute," she replied pouring milk over here Cornflakes.

"Me neither. I ended up spending most of the night on a walk." They sat there in silence for a while, Charlie reading the newspaper and Hermione attempting to read it upside down.

"Can I ask you something Hermione?" Charlie asked as he finished the last article on the back page. Hermione nodded casting a look over at Charlie. He was wearing a pale blue polo shirt that fitted him tightly. Hermione could see his strong muscles bulging through the fabric.

"What books were you needing from Hogwarts? Why did you need to go there, when the best bookshop in the country is in Diagon Alley?" he questioned folding up the newspaper and looking at her inquisitively.

"I…I…Flourish and Blotts didn't have the books I needed."

"What books?"

"I didn't know. I needed some books, not sure which books and figured Hogwarts was the only place that would have what I needed."

"Can I ask what sort of books you were looking for?" Hermione hesitated before answering.

"In my fifth year, when I was in the Department of Mysteries with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna Lovegood, I was hit. I was hit by a curse that Madame Pompfrey said I was lucky to have survived. I didn't know what the curse was and I don't think anyone did. I experienced a lot of pain in my side, where it struck me, for a while afterwards but by the beginning of my sixth year it had stopped and I forgot about it." She looked up at Charlie, who was looking back at her with worry but didn't interrupt.

"I haven't told anyone about this, but when we were finding Horcruxes last year we were caught my snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix tortured me with the Cruciatus Curse-"

"She did not," Charlie grumbled. Hermione nodded and promptly pointed to a thin scar on her neck, where Bellatrix had held the dagger to her. She then showed Charlie the words 'MUDBLOOD' etched into her right forearm. Charlie went white with shock.

"As I was tortured, the worst pain was in my side. It was the same pain as two years previously and took about a month to completely subside. I thought they were connected. And then recently, ever since the accident, I have been getting extreme pain in my side. Worse than before, and sometimes even worse than when I was tortured by Bellatrix. I realized the other day that they must be linked. The spell must have been some sort of Dark Magic, a spell that doesn't leave your body. So I thought that I would find some books at Hogwarts that would help me identify the spell and find a cure," Hermione finished. Charlie just stared at her, the colour slowly returning to his face.

"I would have come with you; you should have told me," Charlie finally managed to say.

"I…I guess I didn't know how. I just wanted to sort this all out myself without having to worry anyone," Hermione shrugged.

"Well, now you've told me it only seems right that I help. Write down your symptoms and give me the books and I'll look through them for you. You need to focus on your NEWTs." Hermione stood up without saying anything, rushed to the other side of the table and flung her arms around Charlie's neck.

"Thank you," she whispered into his neck. His answer was to hug her tightly.

They heard a cough at the door and broke apart immediately, both blushing.

"Well, well, well," Fred started.

"What do we have here?" George continued.

"You know what, Georgie?"

"What Freddie?"

"I reckon we've just interrupted something."

"I think we have."

"Shall we leave?"

"After you my good brother." George bowed letting Fred leave the kitchen.

"You don't need to leave," Hermione called after the retreating backs.

"Thank Merlin. I feel like my stomach was about to implode," Fred said thankfully re-entering the kitchen grinning at Hermione.

"Sit, I'll make you a fry up," Hermione commanded. Fred and George obediently sat down opposite Charlie, both giving him an inquisitive look.

"So what was that about ickle Charlie?" Fred questioned is elder brother.

"Firstly, you don't get to call me ickle. Secondly, it was nothing I just offered to help Mione with something," Charlie retorted.

"Ooooh, did you hear that Georgie?"

"I did, Freddie."

"Ickle Charlie just called her Mione."

"I'm sensing something."

"Me too. Ready to cause some mischief." Hermione looked over from the stove to catch Fred and George exchange smirks. Charlie had blushed a deep scarlet; Hermione giggled to herself before turning back to the spitting bacon.

"Why aren't you at work, Charlie-kin?"

"It's Charlie," Charlie said through gritted teeth, "nothing more, and nothing less. Just Charlie."

"Alright, 'Just Charlie'. Why aren't you at the Ministry with Dad and Percy?" George asked again. Hermione could hear Fred snigger as his twin emphasised the 'Just'.

"Well, my department appointed me a new job yesterday," Charlie replied, ignoring his brothers' snicker.

"Oh really?"

"What to?"

"I have been appointed in charge of the dragon reserve in the Yorkshire Moors."

"There's a dragon reserve in Yorkshire?" Hermione asked ladling scrambled eggs onto the twins' plates.

"Yeah there is, it's meant to be on the down-low but it can't hurt for you lot to know. They want to expand it to relieve the pressure from the ones in Spain and Romania. The moors are huge, there's so much more space there than anywhere else – it makes a lot of sense to expand it. So I'm in charge of the expansion, movement of the dragon's when the time comes and then the general running of it."

"Wow, congratulations Charlie!" Hermione exclaimed beaming at Charlie, the smile that neither Fred nor George missed, "Does that mean you're going to be living up there then?"

"Yes, I'm heading over to Romania this afternoon until Friday and then I'll be back for good, only going to Europe about twice a year."

"Your mother will be so glad," Hermione said sitting back down at the table with a mug of tea.

"Glad about what?" Mrs Weasley asked bustling into the kitchen.

"'Just Charlie's' moving back to the UK," Fred and George said together.

"Oh, really? That is fantastic news," Mrs Weasley said beaming at her second son.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I'm just off to Romania after lunch until Friday and then I'm done there." Mrs Weasley pulled Charlie into a rib breaking, suffocating hug. Charlie grimaced at Fred, George and Hermione, who all snorted with laughter.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Here you go," Hermione said handing one of the books she took from Hogwarts to Charlie and a piece of parchment. Charlie cast a look at the parchment and saw a list of symptoms written down in perfect handwriting. Charlie smiled at Hermione before putting the large, heavy book and parchment into the red backpack.

"Enjoy Romania and I'll see you on Friday," Hermione said, a sparkle disappearing in her eye as quickly as it appeared.

"Take care of your-" but Charlie wasn't able to finish as Hermione screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor. Charlie caught her before she hit her head on the kitchen table. He lowered the writhing Hermione to the floor and sat down next to here holding her tightly until she lay still. Charlie kept Hermione close to him and stroked her hair until she got her breathing to a steady state. He could feel her shaking with sobs and held her tighter than before.

"Shh, it's OK. Everything's OK. We're going to make this better, I promise," Charlie comforted her. He glanced at his watched and saw he only had three minutes until his portkey would take him to Romania. But he couldn't just leave Hermione here, everyone was busy and no one was around. To his relief, Ginny walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Ginny. Come over here. My portkey leaves in a minute," Charlie beckoned his sister to take his place comforting the still trembling Hermione. He stood up and pulled his backpack over his shoulder and touched a glowing toothbrush. A few moments later he felt the usual jerk behind his navel and the last thing he saw was Hermione crying into Ginny's shoulder.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Under Mrs Weasley's orders Hermione spent the rest of the day in bed, secretly to Hermione's delight. Each 'attack' was getting worse and draining her of more energy. Each time it took longer for her to recover. After sleeping for several hours she got up and read some more of Magical Incantations: Signs and Symptoms – What to Do but to no success. She was still unable to pinpoint the curse; she really hoped Charlie would have more success. Thinking of Charlie, Hermione felt a pang of guilt. He was always there for her and was helping her with so much and yet she wasn't repaying it at all. She hadn't asked if there was any way she could have helped him. All of a sudden she felt very selfish.

She finished the book still with no success, lay back down and rolled over onto her side to face the wall. She heard the door open behind her but pretended to be asleep; she really wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone. She knew that they all wanted her to go to St Mungo's but she knew there was nothing they could do. The Healers' wouldn't know what had happened and they wouldn't be able to cure it. She had to work it out by herself, well with Charlie's help of course. She felt a fluttering in her stomach when thinking about Charlie. A feeling she had never experienced before, but she knew it had nothing to do with the curse. She had feelings for the second eldest Weasley brother. The feelings were recent, and they were slight. But they were there. She always felt so comfortable and safe around him, even in the presence of others. He was the first one she saw when she woke up. He was always the one to look after her after the 'attacks'. Hermione lay there, drifting in and out of sleep, experiencing the warm and fluttering feeling associated with Charlie.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"He did not!" Hermione squealed with glee as Ginny sat down on the end of her bed later that afternoon, "Let me see, let me see!" Ginny stuck out her left hand and Hermione examined the elegant ring with a singular diamond.

"Merlin! That is beautiful, Gin. I'm so happy for you," Hermione exclaimed throwing herself at Ginny.

"How did your mum take it?"

"She cried, what else would you have expected?" Ginny replied with a giggle pushing Hermione off her. Hermione laughed.

"And everyone else?"

"They all took it really well. I guess they knew it was going to happen after the new law so I don't think they were that surprised," Ginny said looking down at her new engagement ring.

"Mum's already got the diary out and is planning the wedding already." Hermione rolled her eyes, classic Mrs Weasley.

"We're going to have to make a trip to Diagon Alley soon to get your dress aren't we?" Hermione asked and Ginny nodded with agreement.

"Look, Hermione. Can you…would you…be my maid of honour?" Ginny asked blushing a dark red.

"Ginny, I would absolutely love to. Really I would," Hermione exclaimed leaning in to give Ginny another bone-crushing hug.

"Isn't it really odd that you'll be going into you last year at Hogwarts and you'll be married. That must never have happened before," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"I'm…I'm not going back to Hogwarts any more," Ginny said sheepishly.

"What? You're not? But why?"

"Holyhead Harpies have already offered me a position as Chaser, I can't really turn it down. And Luna's dad isn't letting her go back for some reason and I won't really know anyone. It just won't be the same without you, Harry and even Ron. Everything will be so different, I'm not sure I could go back Also I wasn't really there much last year so I would have to learn two years in one." Hermione looked over at the youngest Weasley, trying to read her expression.

"What have your parents said?"

"They didn't take it too well, as it would mean their youngest four children never finished their education. But then again they understood why and I guess they'll be OK with it. It's not as if I'm going to be slumping around here all day. I'll be training, competing and travelling as of the 12th August. And you never know, I may get the England call up one day," she finished her eyes gleaming with delight. Quidditch was where Ginny belonged, almost more so than Harry. She had such a natural talent, that's what growing up with six elder brothers does to you Hermione assumed. The two girls sat there in silence admiring Ginny's ring until they heard Mrs Weasley calling for Ginny. They both stood up.

"What are you doing Mione?" Ginny interrogated.

"I'm not going to miss out on some potential wedding planning," Hermione smiled and they both headed to the kitchen to find Mrs Weasley sitting at the table surrounded by pieces of parchments. Hermione saw tears of glee fill Mrs Weasley's eyes as Ginny walked in.

"So I was thinking of having the wedding here in the garden, just like Bill and Fleur's last year. And how does Saturday 22nd July sound. I know it's early but then it gives you a week until Harry starts his Auror training. Or we can wait until October."

"No I prefer the sound of a July wedding," Ginny said sitting down on her mother's left side.

"Good, because I do too," Mrs Weasley said scratching out the second date.

"Right so a marquee out the back should work. How big do you think it will need to be?" Mrs Weasley asked looking at the next thing on her ever-growing list.

"Depends on who I invite, I guess," Ginny shrugged.

"Well it will be all of us, Muriel, any Hogwarts friends and Order Members. I don't think it will be huge."

"I don't want it to be big, just the family and closest friends," Ginny said looking over at Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

"What time of the day?"

"I reckon late afternoon, so about 4 o'clock maybe?" Ginny suggested.

"That works, although maybe 5 would be better to be at a more suitable time for dinner." Ginny nodded her head.

"That leads nicely onto food – any requests?"

"I'm thinking an option and on their RSVP they can choose what they want. Harry's favourite is lamb so that should be an possibility and than a fish." The conversation went on for hours, going through tiny details such as when to put up the marquee to what coloured napkins to the timings of dessert.

Hermione was exhausted by the time Mrs Weasley finally folded up the multiple pieces of parchment and put them away a few hours later. Looking over at Ginny she saw her expression mirrored on her face. They both slumped against the back of their chairs and looked up towards the ceiling. Hermione could sense Ginny trying to contain herself from hexing her mother at that moment. She smiled to herself before closing her eyes and slipping into her thoughts.

She was walking down a darkened corridor, lit only by the occasional candle. It was narrow and long – she couldn't see the end and knew she had been walking for hours. She looked down at her feet and saw what distinctly looked like blood seep from the soles of her feet. She lifted her eyes, away from the floor and continued to trudge down the corridor, her whole body aching. She placed one foot in front of the other, pain rushing through her body with every step. It was then that she realised the floor was covered in intermittent pins. Every time her feet made contact with the floor a pin would pierce the skin of her feet causing more blood to spread across the floor. She rummaged around for her wand, but rather than feeling cotton robes she felt silk. She looked down and saw a short, red silk dress with thin spaghetti straps slipping off her shoulders. With a dread of horror she realised she was wandless. Feeling around again confirmed her fear that she had no weapon. Sticking her hands out she felt that the walls were lined with pins and reaching up she felt the low ceiling also covered in spikes. Peering at her hands in the semi-darkness she saw blood dripping from her palms onto the floor. Hermione moaned and could feel tears stinging her cheeks as they fell from her eyes but she continued to walk towards the end of the corridor. Not even ten paces later, Hermione felt a rumble behind her. She whipped around and could just about see a stampede making their way towards her. Without even thinking she started to run. She ran faster than she had ever run before. She kept on placing one foot in front of the other and pumping her arms. Judging by the sounds, the stampede was gaining ground on her. Yet she didn't dare turn around. He breathing became rapid and she could feel her heart hammering inside her chest. He legs began to fill with lactic acid and they began to burn. The pain in her chest was blocking out the stinging of the pins piercing her feet. The stampede was getting closer and closer, she was running out of time and she knew that she was never going to make it, unless a door would appear within a few seconds. But a door never did. She carried on sprinting over the pins until the stampede caught up with her. Yet it wasn't a stampede. As it reached her she realised it was a huge wave of more pins. They flattened her and began to suffocate her. She let out a scream.

"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up!" someone was shaking her practically shouting at her. Hermione opened her eyes and was met with bright white light. It pierced her eyes and she squeezed them shut. She wasn't in a never-ending corridor being chased by pins. She was at The Burrow and she must have fallen asleep at the table. She felt tears sting her eyes and letting them fall she opened her eyes to see Fred peering down at her with concern. She flung herself at him and buried her face into his chest letting the tears fall.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed this, please do leave a review with your thoughts! And please do go check out Healing the Grangers, I prefer it to this one!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry it's been ages since I last updated, I was away without my laptop so couldn't update. Just to let you know I am now up to date with what I have written so it may well be longer between each chapter as I will need to write it, and I also have a lot of exams & coursework coming up so it's not going to be a priority - sorry! But I can guarantee it's not being abandoned!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - yes I meant Romania!**

 **RLyn96 - hopefully you'll like this chapter then.**

 **jessnoland - hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 11**

"So now I know what it feels like to be an idiot like Crabbe or Goyle," Ron complained after getting the tenth question wrong in a row.

"You're not an idiot. You're just not paying attention. I've told you all of the answers to these questions in the last hour. Maybe if you stopped thinking about your stomach for once you might remember something," Hermione said exasperatedly. It was taking Harry, and especially Ron, much longer to recall everything from their sixth year than Hermione had anticipated.

"I'm trying. But it's bloody difficult when you're keeping us captive for seven hours a day," Ron almost shouted.

"You were the ones who asked me for help. And that is all I am doing," Hermione said with a raised voice.

"This is hardly helping. I feel like I'm in a prison with you," Ron growled. Harry looked over and saw a few tears glisten in Hermione's eyes.

"Well then, you shouldn't have agreed to do it my way."

"I didn't have any other choice now did I? I'm not exactly able to teach all of this rubbish to myself."

"Well, clearly you can't let me help you so you might as well give it a go."

"You know what? I think I might. At least that way I can work and eat when I want." Ron stood up off the floor and stormed out of the room.

"He didn't mean that did he?" Hermione asked looking over at Harry.

"Of course he didn't. He's just being a prick. He hasn't worked in over a year – he's forgotten how to use his pea-sized brain," Harry calmly said making Hermione giggle slightly.

"Am I doing everything right though?"

"Hermione stop worrying. It's fine, we're going to ace these exams don't worry. Ron will eat something now and I bet you he will have realised his idiotic mistake in about half an hour when he tries to teach himself the Conjuring Spell and he'll be back." Hermione smiled.

"So, what are the ingredients necessary for the Felix Felicis?" Hermione asked turning back to the open book at her feet.

"Hmm…that's the one with the ashwinder eggs, squill bulb, occamy eggshell and," there was a pause whilst Harry thought about the rest of the ingredients, "and I can't remember what else," he finally said.

"Harry. I told you this not even 15 minutes ago!" Hermione exclaimed, "It's murtlap tentacle, tincture of thyme and powdered common rue."

"Oh yes, I do remember now," Harry said sheepishly.

"Of course you remember now, I just told you." Hermione continued asking Harry many more questions, most of which he only got about half right for another hour before they heard their names being called.

"It'll be lunch then," Harry said looking down at his watch. They both stood up and left Bill's room, which they had turned into a teaching room of sorts much to his dismay when he turned up two days previously and wanted to stay the night after drinking a bit too much Firewhisky and not wanting to splinch himself.

Hermione and Ron didn't say a single work to each other over lunch; they didn't even acknowledge that the other existed. Harry felt very uncomfortable sitting between the two of them. The other Weasleys felt the tension between the trio.

"How's work going?" Mrs Weasley asked innocently, the only one not noticing the hostility.

"Oh it's fine thank you, just taking longer than I anticipated," Hermione answered casting a look at Ron.

"Humph," Ron growled.

"What's the matter with you Ron," Ginny asked noticing the low murmur.

"Nothing," Ron replied grumpily not looking up from his plate.

"Ronald only seems to be able to think about his stomach and nothing else," Hermione smiled.

"Yet she won't accept the fact that we're just not as clever as her," Ron groaned.

" _She_ has a name," Hermione said tartly.

"Whatever," Ron shrugged. "It's not as if you really care about us as people. You're using us as rats for your own benefit so you can do really well and we fail."

"Ron! That is utter rubbish. I would never do that to either of you. I'm doing what I think will help you the most. It's not my fault your biggest priority is your stomach."

"It's now my fault you keep us captive for so long my stomach begins to fall off."

"It's hardly going to fall off," Hermione said, her voice slowing getting higher.

"Irrelevant. You're still not thinking about us."

"Merlin, Ron! Why don't you stop being so self-centered to realise for one minute you're not the only one in this world?"

"I never said I was the only person in this world."

"You may well have done." Harry could see Hermione's chocolate brown eyes glisten with tears.

"You could have done something to help us pass our NEWTs. You're not the only one who wants proper qualifications."

"Ron, I've been trying so hard to help you, it just makes it super difficult if it's not reciprocated."

"I'm trying, but you just don't understand how hard it is not being you."

"Ron just give it a break," Fred almost shouted at his youngest brother. Harry had completely forgotten that Ron and Hermione had been arguing in front of the entire Weasley family.

"Fine. I'll give it a break. Actually, you know what I'll give you all a break." Ron stood up from the table and stormed out of the kitchen. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione heard a pop and new he had just disapparated. They just sat there in a stunned silence.

"What have I done?" Hermione muttered to herself and without a second's notice she hurried away from the table leaving her untouched plate of food. Harry heard the back door bang shut. He sat there confused. What was wrong with Ron? It couldn't be more obvious that Hermione was helping them; he was being such a git.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione sat huddled against the large oak tree by the lake the odd tear still trickling down her cheeks. The sun was setting and the surface of the lake was glistening in the late, summer's sun. She had summoned the books she had taken from Hogwarts from Ginny's room and had only marked one possible spell out of the hundreds between the two books. They sat next to her as she stared out over the lake. She had clearly hurt Ron and she felt so bad about it. She hadn't meant anything against him; she only wanted to help them both. She knew they didn't have long before the exams and they still hadn't even started on the seventh year content. She let out a deep sigh and pressed the back of her head against the bark. She drew her legs closer towards her chest; there was a slight breeze and she wasn't exactly in the most suitable of clothes, only a pair of shorts and a thin crewneck sweatshirt. She stared up into the branches above her and closed her eyes mulling over her thoughts.

"I thought I might find you here," a voice filled Hermione's ears. A voice she hadn't heard in four days, a voice she couldn't have been happier to hear. Hermione opened her eyes and looked to where the voice had come from. She smiled when their eyes made contact.

"You're not going to hex me if I come and sit next to you are you?" he asked tentatively not moving any closer. Hermione laughed but shook her head so Charlie took two steps to reach her and sat down on the grass next to her. He joined her in staring out over the shimmering lake. Charlie heard a sniff and without thinking he wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her into him.

"Ron's a git, don't let anyone make you think otherwise," Charlie finally said after a few minutes of them just sitting there at peace with the chirping birds and the surroundings.

"You know what happened?" Hermione said lifting her head off of his shoulder and looking up at his face.

"I didn't need to ask for the whole story to get the picture," Charlie smiled looking down at Hermione. "Hermione, listen to me. Everyone knows you are doing everything you can to help Harry and Ron. Ron's just frustrated he's forgotten everything so please don't take it to heart. He didn't mean anything; trust me. I'm his older brother and I've witnessed him in a grump and storm away but there hasn't been a time when he hasn't come back. Give him a little while to come to his senses and he'll realise he can't do anything without you and he'll be back begging to let you help him." Hermione sighed deeply and nuzzled her head into Charlie's neck. He was radiating a calm, soothing warmth that made Hermione feel so much safer than she had this past week. Charlie stroked her arm and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, taking in her shampoo's distinctive smell of apple and mint he had missed so much while he was in Romania.

"I guess it all just reminded me of when he left last year," Hermione said quietly breaking the peaceful silence between the two of them.

"What?" Charlie asked sternly sitting upright. Hermione pulled herself away from Charlie and looked straight into his dark eyes that were suddenly flashing with anger.

"He…he left Harry and me for about two months over Christmas," Hermione said.

"He did not," Charlie growled looking as if he was ready to strangle his brother.

"Charlie, it's fine he had been wearing the locket all day and was just agitated at how we had had no success. He tried to find us as soon as he left but couldn't find us with our protective charms. But he did come back," Hermione told him.

"That's not the point, Hermione. He left you and Harry to try and tackle the Horcruxes. What if he hadn't come back? What if he had no intention of finding you?" Charlie snarled. Hermione went to touch his arm but he shook it off.

"Charlie, please don't be angry with him. He made a mistake. We forgave him and we knew it wouldn't happen again. I guess him getting angry with me at the NEWT work just reminded me that he had done it before," Hermione said slowly looking down at the grass.

"Hmmm…I guess if you managed to forgive the prat I might be able to," Charlie pondered. They both sat there in silence, Hermione fiddling with the grass and Charlie watching her intently, unbeknownst to her. He watched how soft and gentle her fingers where as she played with the grass and daisies. He marveled at how her hair was falling over her face and radiating of the low, sunrays and how the sleeve of her top was falling slightly off her shoulder exposing a browning shoulder. He admired her long, skinny legs stretched out in front of her, her shorts ever so slightly riding up her thighs.

"Charlie?" Hermione's question interrupted Charlie's thoughts on her perfect and comfortable she seemed.

"Yes?"

"Um…do you mind me asking you something?" Hermione asked tentatively not raising her eyes from the ground.

"I guess that wouldn't be the end of the world," a smirk spread across his face.

"Um…did you have any success?"

"Success? Oh as in the spell?" Hermione nodded nervously. "Well, as you asked I suppose I could tell you." Hermione looked anxiously up at Charlie's dark brown eyes, who smiled back down at her for a few moments.

"Oh, come just tell me if you found anything," Hermione pleaded.

"Well, I may have had some success-"

"Really" Hermione squealed excitedly.

"I'm not 100 % sure so you may need to double check them."

"Them?" Hermione questioned confusion etched on her face.

"Yes, there were about three that fit your description."

"Has anyone told you how amazing you are?" Hermione exclaimed excitedly as she flung her arms around Charlie's neck.

"Apparently not," Charlie laughed blushing slightly. He wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and pulled her closer into him taking in the apple and mint smell of her long, bushy hair. Hermione rested her head against his strong chest and smelt his aftershave, one of lime. Hermione felt incredibly safe in his strong hold and could have stayed there for hours but Charlie lifted his head and pulled away slightly, not completely letting go of her.

"I can feel you shivering you know, maybe we should head back in now that it's dark," Charlie said. Hermione wasn't even aware she was cold whilst she was wrapped in his arms but now Charlie had mentioned it she really was quite chilly in the evening air.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

'Here you go," Charlie said passing Hermione a ham sandwich. The kitchen and living room were deserted as everyone had headed off to bed. He summoned some left over chilli con carne from supper and started to eat.

"How come I don't get any?" Hermione asked nodding at the chilli.

"You don't like it Mione, why would you want it?" Charlie replied glancing at her.

"I know that, but thought you would have at least asked," Hermione said huffily.

"I guess I know you a lot more than you thought I did," Charlie stated.

"Apparently you do," Hermione smiled. "But I don't know much about you."

"What do you want to know?" Charlie asked taking a large mouthful.

"There must be some foods you don't like, and love."

"Chilli con carne is probably my favourite meal, but I would never say no to a casserole, steak and ale pie or scampi and chips. As for what I don't like, don't even get me started on brussels sprouts –"

"Brussels sprouts? How do you hate them, they're so delicious."

"They're disgusting, you must be the first person I've ever met to like them."

"That's great, all the more for me then," Hermione grinned and Charlie noticed a glint in her eyes. "That can't be the only thing you don't like?"

"I won't touch cucumber or soft cheese. Jelly makes me feel sick and I refuse to even go near peas or kiwi," Charlie told her.

"Wow, that's quite the odd list," Hermione said honestly.

"There must be some more things, besides chillli con carne, you don't like," Charlie stated.

"I can't say I'm a fan of beef-"

"Beef? You don't like beef? What? How?" Charlie asked stunned a forkful of food near his open mouth. Hermione laughed at how shocked he was.

"I didn't realise it was illegal not to like beef," Hermione said.

"It's not…it's just I've never heard anyone not liking it," Charlie shook his head disbelievingly. Hermione laughed. Charlie and Hermione sat there chatting for a while after and it wasn't until Hermione yawned did they head off to bed at 1 o'clock in the morning. It was their first late night conversation, but it certainly wasn't their last.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione was standing outside, in the dead of night, looking around. She noticed a faint glowing light in the distance and slowly made her way over to it feeling something cold and prickly on her feet. Looking down she realised she was bare-footed and it was just the cold, damp grass curling up over her toes. Perplexed by the light, Hermione slowly walked across the soft ground towards the distant glow. As she got closer it grew larger and it wasn't until she was a few metres away did she notice it was light spreading around a door. Slowing down she crept towards the door in which she could hear voices. She pressed her ear to the door and listened in.

"You failed me-"

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I can't apologise enough," a weak voice replied.

"I don't need an apology. I need success," a stronger, male voice said.

"And success I shall give you. I will get her through her weakness."

"Her weakness?" the elder man enquired.

"Her love," the younger man said quietly.

"Potter?"

"Oh no, an elder Weasley." A sudden blinding white light spread through the gaps between the door and the frame and Hermione squeezed her eyes closed just before hearing a thump from the room.

"She's found love with _him_ ," the first man exclaimed. Hermione then heard him let out a loud laugh sending and uncomfortable shiver down Hermione's spine, "Charlie Weasley – who would have thought?"

"What do you want?" Hermione almost let out a shout upon hearing Charlie's voice from inside the room.

"We don't want you, we want your lover, Miss Granger,"

"Hermione is not my lover, we're just friends." Hermione heard another laugh. A laugh very familiar to Hermione – a laugh belonging to none other than Draco Malfoy.

"I would disagree," Malfoy said.

"Malfoy, I don't need your input," the other man said.

"Where am I?" Charlie asked, trying to make his voice sound strong.

"Not important."

"Who are you?"

"Not important."

"What are you doing?"

"Not important."

"What am I to do?"

"Now that is a more interesting question. Shall we have some story-time? Right, so as we all know, none other than Harry Potter murdered our Dark Lord. And now we have no leader but I am going to be the new leader. However, I need help. I hate to accept that fact, but I am not as clever as him but Miss Granger is. I was the one who hit her with that curse two years ago. I am the one who knows the consequences of it-"

"Tell me that curse and those consequences now," Charlie demanded, almost shouting.

"Since when does anyone interrupt story time?" the elder man jeered. Hermione could sense him fiddling with his wand. There was silence before he continued.

"As I was saying, I know the curse and I knew the consequences. I knew where she was during the battle. I ensured the ceiling fell down. I made her decide to save your brother and take the hit herself. I knew there would be a consequence. I also knew she would want to solve out what was going on. I knew she would head to Hogwarts. I placed a spell on Hogwarts to tell this young man, and another, she was there. They paid a visit. They would capture her and bring her to me and they would get the books about Horcruxes for me. But they failed and now you are here to bring her to me-"

"Never in hell would I put her in danger and bring her to you," Charlie said strongly.

"Oh but you don't know the spell and you don't know the consequences. She doesn't have long and only I can save her."

"But I found the spell in a book. I know how to save her," Charlie said pointedly.

"But you don't. You don't because I made up the spell and only I know how to reverse it."

"Hermione's smart, she'll be able to figure it out."

"What in 10 years? Do you not realise she has very little time left? With each 'attack' she has more and more of her is being taken from inside of her and she is getting weaker and weaker. She isn't going to last much longer."

"But I'll help her. I'll get the Healers to help her. I'll get the Ministry to help her."

"No you won't because if you do you shall experience this again. Crucio." Hermione heard Charlie scream in agony and knew he was writhing in pain. She could hear his shout and shrieks that lasted a minute before the curse was lifted. It took a lot of strength for Hermione not to burst straight into the room. She could hear Charlie's rapid and shallow breaths.

"Now do you understand? You will bring Miss Granger to me; you have five days because that is all she has and if you tell anyone about me or anything I have told you, you shall be tortured to death. If you don't bring her here then she shall die herself. You don't have much of a choice Charlie Weasley, but I hope you choose wisely."

"I have one last question," Charlie said weakly, "what do you want with Hermione?"

"She has the knowledge of making Horcruxes and that with some adaption stored in some people is stronger than object. She also has the genes to pass onto hers' and my children to continue my legacy. Now leave." There was another blinding white light and Hermione knew Charlie was no longer inside. Her knees collapsed and she fell to the ground before everything blacked out and she knew no more.

 **(A/N hope you enjoyed this chapter & a few questions were answered! As ever please leave a review :) )**


	12. Chapter 12

**Another chapter - sorry there's so long in between them but I'm so busy and also Word on my laptop isn't letting me type for some reason so I need to find a way to work out how to update it !**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - hope your question is answered now!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - here you go!**

 **SeaWitch225 - hope you enjoy this chapter !**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 12**

Hermione's eyes burst open. Her whole body was trembling. Her breathing was fast and shallow and she could feel beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. She cast her eyes around the darkened room and was just able to make out Ginny's shape under a heap of blankets. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing and focus on positive thoughts. But nothing was helping the terror that was flooding through her veins. She gave up and swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up feeling the soft carpet between her toes. She grabbed the hoody at the end of her bed and crept outside of Ginny's room, quietly closed the door behind her. There was a cool draft coming through the window on the stairs and Hermione gulped in fresh air, which made her feel suddenly better. Taking in another deep breath, she plodded up the stairs carefully so the creaking steps wouldn't wake any of the Weasleys. It was still very dark so she reckoned she hadn't been asleep for long at all. Reaching the second floor she headed down the corridor and reached the bedroom she was looking for. Taking another deep breath she raised her shaking hand and knocked quietly on the door. She heard a mumble from inside and a few seconds later footsteps heading towards the door. It opened and a tousle-haired Charlie Weasley popped his head through the door.

"Hermione?" Charlie croaked, "what are you doing up?"

"Charlie," Hermione exclaimed and threw herself into his arms and tears fell freely onto his bare chest. His strong arms wrapped around her and drew her closer into a tight hug.

"Shhh, it's ok," Charlie soothed running a comforting hard through her hair. Once Hermione's breathing returned to a more regular rate Charlie let go of her slightly and pulled his head away. He looked down at her concerned.

"What's the matter Mione?" he asked worried. Hermione just shook her head unable to form any words.

"It's ok. How about you come in and we'll have a chat?" Charlie grabbed Hermione's hand and led her towards his bed pushing the door closed with his other. He flung back the covers and climbed in pulling a t-shirt on before beckoning Hermione to get into his bed. Hesitantly, Hermione clambered onto his bed and Charlie brought the blanket over the two of them.

"What is it Mione?" Charlie asked placing an arm around her shoulders.

"I…I…was…I was there," Hermione stuttered.

"You were where?" Charlie asked. Hermione sensed worry and confusion in his question.

"The other side of the door."

"What door?"

"Just now. I think it must have been a dream. You…you were with two Death Eaters. And…and they tortured you…and told you…told you I was…I was going…going to die," Hermione tried to explain. She looked over at Charlie and in the moonlight filling his open window saw terror cross his face.

"What? But you couldn't have been. There were neither doors nor any windows. How's that even possible? You can't have been there,"

"I was Charlie. I heard everything. I heard how he cast the spell on me, how he ensured I would save Fred and the wall would collapse on me, how the Death Eaters were told when I was at Hogwarts, how they failed and now want you to take me to them, how there are consequences and how…how I'm going to die soon," Hermione said staring intently into Charlie's eyes. She felt more tears fill her eyes and was even surprised to see a few spill down Charlie's cheeks.

"It's alright Mione, honestly it's fine. Everything will be OK – I promise," Charlie said soothingly. Hermione leant her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. How could he be saying everything would be OK? Everything was not OK. Charlie would be tortured or Hermione would be turned on to the dark side or she would die. How was it alright?

"It's not fine Charlie," Hermione sniffed into his shoulder. Charlie placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"We'll figure it out," Charlie whispered into her hair.

"But how? If you tell anyone, they'll basically kill you and if we don't do anything I'll die from this made-up curse," Hermione said her voice cracking with fear.

"We'll find a way, I promise. If it means telling people where we'll be and they can help us so be it. But Mione please don't worry yourself because everything will be fine. I don't make promises lightly and I am promising you right now that we will get through this," Charlie said quietly. Hermione nodded but didn't say anything. They sat there in silence for what felt like hours, mulling over what they had heard and the possible outcomes and what they could do, until Charlie broke the silence.

"What I don't understand is how you were there?" Hermione sat up and looked into Charlie's eyes.

"Neither do I. Maybe it was a dream? Or it may be something similar to how Harry was able to see Voldemort and the snake."

"Hmm…it may be. I guess it might even be on the consequences he was talking about," Charlie suggested.

"I guess it could be that too." Hermione rested her head onto Charlie's shoulder again, "Charlie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you OK?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"Isn't it fairly obvious?"

"I guess." Charlie looked over at Hermione, who didn't look up.

"He tortured you, Charlie. There should be no reason for anyone to be tortured. We have to do something." Charlie felt something wet on his neck and new Hermione was crying again.

"We will do something, Mione. I promise. But for now it's 2:30 in the morning, let's sleep and think about it at a reasonable hour," Charlie planted a kiss on Hermione's forehead and gave her another squeeze.

"Charlie, would it…would it be OK if I stayed here?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Of course it would be OK." Charlie slid down the bed and pulled Hermione into him. Charlie wrapped his arms around Hermione as she rested her head on his chest. She could feel his chest move up and down in regular, deep breaths and heard his heart beating strongly.

"Goodnight Charlie," Hermione whispered softly into his chest.

"Goodnight Mione," Charlie replied giving her a kiss on her forehead and resting his chin on her head.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Oh…um…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt…um…breakfast is ready," Ron stuttered in the doorway to Charlie's room seeing Hermione and Charlie cuddle up tightly in each others arms.

"Thanks Ron," Charlie said and Ron quickly backed out of the room. Charlie gave a snigger and planted a kiss on Hermione's cheek.

"Morning." Hermione turned her head and looked up at Charlie, she was quite a dark shade of red.

"Don't worry about Ron, he's just being a prick," Charlie said smoothing a stray curl off of Hermione's face. Hermione smiled up at Charlie.

"We should probably get to breakfast before people start thinking the wrong thing," Hermione said sitting up. Charlie laughed.

"I'll see you in a minute." Hermione smiled over her shoulder as she left Charlie's room and headed downstairs.

"Morning," Hermione greeted the kitchen of Weasleys and Harry.

"Morning, Hermione. This came for you – looks like it's from the Ministry," Mrs Weasley smiled back nodding to a letter sitting on the kitchen table.

"Thanks, Molly." Hermione sat down at the table and pulled a cup of coffee and her letter towards her slightly worried by the Ministry logo printed on the front. With somewhat trembling fingers, Hermione peeled open the envelope and pulled out the piece of parchment and cast an eye down it before letting out a sigh of relief.

 _Dear Miss Granger,_

 _We ask you not to worry about this letter. It is nothing other than a reminder of the new Marriage Law that was issue back in May. We are reminding you that you have one month left to find your future husband or else you shall be assigned a wizard of the Ministry's choosing. We also take this opportunity to express the importance of you telling us this man before the month is up and that he must come from a pureblood family – there shall be no exceptions._

 _A request has come from the Minister of Magic to speak to you, Mr Harry Potter and Mr Ronald Weasley later today. He is expecting you at three o'clock sharp; please do pass the message on to Mr Potter and Mr Weasley._

 _With best wishes,_

 _Desmond Starky_

 _Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic_

"What's that about Hermione?" Harry asked looking over at Hermione as he folded up the letter and took a gulp of coffee.

"Oh just reminding me of the marriage law – as if I would forget that. And Kingsley wants to see you, me and Ron this afternoon at three."

"Why does he want to see us?" Harry asked confused.

"No idea, they didn't mention anything about it."

"I'm busy at three, I can't make it," Ron said from the other end of the table.

"Well whatever you're doing can't be as important as seeing Kingsley so you're going to have to change it," Hermione said tartly not looking down the table towards Ron.

"Not going to happen."

"Ronald, you are not, and I repeat, not, doing whatever you plan on doing. You shall be accompanying Harry and Hermione to London to see Kingsley. End of topic," Mrs Weasley said sternly. Ron didn't even try to argue with his mother.

"Harry, you up for some Charms this morning? I was thinking of going into Mr Weasley's shed as there's a bit more space out there and up in Bill's room," Hermione said a few minutes later when she set down her empty coffee cup. She had purposely only addressed Harry after her argument with Ron the previous day, Charlie had told her the night before not to make any effort with Ron and that he would come round by himself.

"Sounds good to me Mione. Can we start in about 15 minutes?"

"Not a problem, I do need to go and have shower. I'll meet you there in quarter of an hour." With that Hermione hurried out of the kitchen upstairs to the shared bathroom. She stood under the steaming water for almost a good ten minutes. Once she had overheated enough she stepped out wrapped a towel around her body, brushed her teeth and tried to tame her wild hair before heading back to Ginny's room to put some clothes on. As she unlocked the door and stepped onto the steps she walked straight into Charlie. She stumbled backwards but Charlie caught her arm and stopped her from falling down the stairs in nothing but a towel. Hermione blushed a deep scarlet before looking up at Charlie and smiling.

"Sorry, didn't see you there."

"I figured," Charlie teased and gave her a wink. "Everything alright?"

"Yes, thanks for saving me from a rather embarrassing situation of indecency," Hermione reddened even darker.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie grinned before taking the stair two at a time up to his room. Still blushing, Hermione took the few stairs down to Ginny's room and put on a pair of white shorts and a pink polo shirt before heading up to Bill's room to pick up her Charms' textbooks. With a few books under her arm and her wand in her back pocket Hermione began down the stair to meet Harry at Mr Weasley's shed. However, as she past Ginny's room on the first floor, about ten steps from the bottom floor the pain came back. But it wasn't just an intense pain it was a lot worse, worse even than when Bellatrix had tortured her. Hermione shouted out in pain and fell to the floor. But being in the middle of the staircase she tumbled down the stairs hitting her head on a frequent number of steps. She heard a snap but was in too much pain to acknowledge the new searing pain in her wrist. She reached the bottom of the stairway and with a loud thud she landed in the living room and began writhing on the floor unable to bear the pain. She wasn't able to comprehend any thoughts and wasn't aware of the footsteps thundering down the stairs. She stopped writhing but was still in so much pain that her eyes closed even tighter and she knew no more of what was going on at The Burrow.

Charlie had taken the stairs three at a time as he ran down to the living room after hearing Hermione's scream and knowing exactly what had happened. He reached the bottom step and launched himself over Hermione to sit down behind her. He picked her up in to his arms and sat there cradling her closely and stroking her hair. She stopped writhing in pain but there was no change. Having hit her head a number of times on her fall down the stairs Charlie wasn't surprised that she no longer remained conscious.

"Charlie dear, what happened? I heard Hermione shout and came as soon as I could from the garden," Mrs Weasley said kneeling down next to her second eldest son.

"Oh my, her hair is covered in blood," Mrs Weasley exclaimed catching a look of the pile of blood dripping down Hermione's hair onto Charlie's lap and the floor, "and her wrist, it must be broken. Charlie what happened?"

"She had one of her attacks and must have fallen down a lot of stairs and hit her head," Charlie mumbled holding Hermione close to his body. "I'm going to take her to St Mungo's now. She needs proper treatment." Charlie picked Hermione off the floor and stood up. Cradling her next to his chest he disapparated with a pop. He knew he should have taken Floo Powder but disapparating was a lot quicker and Hermione needed help immediately.

Charlie appeared in the lobby of the hospital and still carrying Hermione tightly walked towards the queue in front of the reception desk. The witches and wizards already in a queue saw Charlie noticed how bad a state Hermione was in, Charlie assumed they also recognised her, and let him queue barge. He reached the front of the queue and made the few short steps to the desk. He didn't need to say anything before the old lady behind the desk spoke to him in a monotonous voice,

"Fourth Floor: Spell Damage. Take a left, carry down the corridor before taking a right at the end of the hall and go along the corridor until you reach Andreas Tonnishin's office – he will know what to do." Thanking the lady, Charlie hurried to the stairs and ran up them all the way to the Fourth Floor, he should have taken the lift but didn't care. He took the left and the right and continued down the corridor until he reached a glass door with a sign hanging on it telling him he had reached Healer A Tonnishin's office. Charlie didn't even need to knock before Healer Tonnishin appeared from his office and smiled at Charlie.

"You must be Charlie Weasley, I received word from the Reception you were looking for me. Please bring Miss Granger and follow me," he said in a loud, deep voice. Charlie didn't question how he knew who he or Hermione were but hurried after the short, stout man who could reach a rather quick pace. They walked in silence twisting and turning down many corridors that Charlie knew he would never be able to get out of for a few minutes until Andreas pushed open a door on his left into a large, private ward.

"I've tried to give you one of the most hidden wards, we don't want the press to know where she is or else we'll never be able to get them out of here. They shouldn't be able to find anyone here. Now Mr Weasley, if I may ask you to leave Miss Granger on the bed over here and step outside as I give her an examination? I suggest you head upstairs to the tearoom and wait for us there; someone will come to find you once we're done. You may also find other members of your family waiting for you up there," Healer Tonnishin said calmly nodding towards the bed and then to the ceiling. Charlie could distinctively hear people conversing upstairs but had to focus on it to know people were there. Charlie hesitated for a moment but under Healer Tonnishin's persistent look he walked over to the bed and carefully laid the unconscious Hermione. He kissed her forehead before slowing walking out of the room. He didn't know how to get to the tearoom and it took him a long 15 minutes to navigate himself out of the maze of the floor and reach the stairs to take him up to the waiting area.

Red-haired family members, and a black-haired boy bombarded Charlie, the second he entered the tea room the floor above. Everyone was questioning Charlie all at once he was unable to comprehend who was saying what. He didn't even understand half of the queries that were being asked. Charlie decided to ignore them and walked to the far corner of the room. He sat himself down on the chair, brought his knees up to his chest and looked away from his family. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He was worried that if he did he would spill what had happened to him and what was going to happen to Hermione. He felt a few tears fall down his cheek and didn't do anything to wipe them away. He slowly let them fall down his cheeks dreading what could happen. Realising that Charlie wanted time to himself, the rest of the Weasleys and Harry left him alone and took seats on the other side of the room. They occupied the silence with calming conversation trying to keep the mood light.

Various other witches and wizards entered and exited the tearoom, some tried to make conversation with the Weasleys and others left them to it but no one went near Charlie in the far corner, during the next painfully long two hours. Each minute that came and went without any news, Charlie got more and more tense. He dreaded the worst. He didn't know what to expect when the Healer did come but he did know he was terrified. Terrified that Hermione's time had come to the end five days too early. Terrified he would spill what had happened and be tortured again, if not something worse. Terrified he would lose Hermione without telling her his true feelings.

At 2 o'clock after five long and incredibly painful hours, Healer Tonnishin reappeared in the tearoom's doorway. Casting a look around the room he spotted Charlie in the far corner and made his way over. Charlie didn't say anything, just watched the elderly Healer make his way through the tables and chairs towards him, trying to read the expression etched across his face. Upon realising the Healer was bringing news of Hermione, the other Weasleys and Harry slowly stood up and followed him to where Charlie was sitting keeping a distance so as not to intrude.

"Is she OK?" Charlie muttered quietly as Healer Tonnishin approached. His eyes were dry now; he had no more tears to cry.

"Mr Weasley –"

"Please, call me Charlie," Charlie interrupted.

"Alright then Charlie, Miss Granger is doing fine. She is currently sleeping. She had a bad knock to her head, which resulted in a brain bleed but we were able to fix it but that is why it has been so long. We wanted to wait to make sure there were no side effects from the accident but it seems she should be fine. Her wrist was very badly broken and she broke a few ribs. Everything has been fixed for now. She will need rest for a few days but there is no reason to say she won't make a full recovery." Healer Tonnishin smiled kindly to Charlie, who was able to return one back to the older man. "You may go and see her now but please let her rest." With that Healer Tonnishin turned his back and weaved among the tables and chairs to leave the room.

"Oh thank Merlin, she's OK," Mrs Weasley exclaimed collapsing into a chair. Everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. Charlie, however, stood up and started to walk towards the exit in an attempt to find Hermione's room. Bill watched his brother for a second before catching up with him.

"I'll let you have some time with her, we'll come and visit in half an hour or so," Bill whispered into Charlie's ear. Charlie then did something very uncharacteristic of him. He turned around and hugged his elder brother.

"Thank you," he said before letting go and leaving the stunned Weasleys to find Hermione. Charlie found the stairs easily and headed downstairs to the floor below. As he was making his way down the staircase it was then that he noticed the blood caked on his shirt in dried on his hands. He muttered a quick spell and the blood disappeared making him look a little less of a mess. Charlie had no idea where Hermione's ward was so he headed to Healer Tonnishin's office. When he reached the door he knocked twice before it swung open and he caught sight of the Healer sitting behind a very large pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Charlie, what may I do for you?" he asked brightly.

"Um…could you tell me how to get to Hermione's room? I'm not entirely sure how to get there." To Charlie's surprise, Healer Tonnishin let out a laugh. A laugh so high and squeaky Charlie couldn't help but let a smile creep across his face.

"Don't worry, fortunately she has been moved so a ward much closer and easier to find. Just follow this corridor and take the fourth door on the left that will lead you down a walkway. She's in the third room on the right." Charlie thanked the man before following his instructions and found himself stood outside of a room that was named _Miss H Granger_. Charlie took a deep breath and carefully pushed the door open. The room he stood inside was relatively small. In the far corner was a desk covered in bottles of various shapes and sizes. The other side of the room housed a wardrobe and a door, which Charlie assumed led to a bathroom. Directly in front of him was a bed cast in bright sunlight. He saw Hermione's slight figure moving slightly with deep and regular breaths under the covers. Charlie conjured a chair next to the bed and moved to sit down next to Hermione. Her head was surrounded in a large bandage and her left wrist was also tightly bandaged. Charlie took ahold of Hermione's right hand in both of his and gently planted a kiss.

"We're going to be OK, Mione. I promise we're going to find a way out of this. You and me both," Charlie whispered quietly. He kissed Hermione's forehead before returning to his chair and watching Hermione sleep, her chest rising and lowering in a slow, rhythmical way wanting nothing more than for everything to be fine when she woke up.

 **(A/N: reviews = love !)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A new chapter - it's quite a bit longer than any I've written but hopefully you'll see why and you'll all enjoy it!**

 **J's Girl - I'm glad you like it, hope you enjoy the update!**

 **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx - thank you!**

 **Red Garden Gnome - thanks! ah OK, not something I've done before but hopefully I'll remember to include it!**

 **SeaWitch225 - hope you enjoy this one!**

 **Lizard84 - thank you!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 13**

"Charlie, may I have a word quickly before you head home?" Healer Tonnishin had just noticed Charlie and the Weasleys walk past his office on their way back to The Burrow and stuck his head out to call out for Charlie. Casting a quick look at Bill, Charlie nodded and walked back the few paces and entered the office.

"We'll have dinner on the table for when you get back," Mrs. Weasley called after her son before rounding up the rest of her family and heading back to the main reception and the fireplace to floo back to The Burrow.

"Have a seat." Healer Tonnishin beckoned towards a comfortable looking shabby leather armchair that had been placed in front of his desk. Charlie did as he was told and sat down as the older man walked around the other side of the desk and sat down himself. He sent the paperwork to the other side of the room before resting his chin on his hands and peering curiously at Charlie for a while.

"I just wanted to have a quick chat, nothing to worry about at all," he finally said making Charlie feel a bit more at ease rather than being stared at. "As we were conducting our initial assessment of Miss Granger-"

"She's Hermione, I know she wouldn't want to be called Miss Granger," Charlie interrupted for the second time that day.

"Alright then. So as we were assessing Hermione when you first brought her in we uncovered something very peculiar." Charlie's heart skipped a beat. Had they found something to do with the curse? Had they been able to cure her? Was there something they could do? Hundreds of questions flooded through Charlie's brain all at once.

"We noticed something that we had never seen before. It was some sort of remnants of a very dark curse. However, it was a curse no one recognised. I had some of the most senior Healers come and check it out and not one of them were able to identify it. We will of course carry out more tests but I fear it is taking the worse out of Hermione and we're not going to heal her if we don't know the curse. I brought you in here mainly to ask if you knew anything or of any curse that Hermione has suffered from recently, maybe at the recent battle?" Healer Tonnishin shuddered at the mention of the Battle of Hogwarts that had happened only a couple of months ago and was still etched the front of everyone's memories. Charlie sat there for a few moments contemplating his options. He knew about the curse, he knew Dolohov had made it up. He knew there were severe consequences for Hermione. He knew she only have five days to live. He knew that if Dolohov cured her she would become his and bare his children, shivers were sent down Charlie's spine at the thought of what Dolohov would do to her if he allowed her to be cured by him. He also knew that if he told anyone he would experience the repercussions and he would be tortured again, and likely to death. But he could tell Healer Tonnishin. He could tell the Minister of Magic. He could tell everyone then. He could sacrifice himself to ensure Hermione survived. But would he do that for her? Of course he would, without even a second thought. Hermione meant the world to him and he would do anything and everything to save her even if it resulted in his death at the hands of Antonin Dolohov. It was then that Charlie's mind was made up. He would spend the rest of the evening telling everyone who needed to know about this curse and what Dolohov had told him and he would face the consequences of it.

"I do know something. But I think it may be much better if I could tell some of your senior Healers and not just you so that you can all work together and explanations don't get changed," Charlie finally told Healer Tonnishin. Healer Tonnishin stared at him in amazement, obviously utterly perplexed by this statement. He looked shocked for a good minute before correcting himself.

"Right. OK. No problem at all Charlie. I shall send for them now." Healer Tonnishin cast a silvery shadow that Charlie recognised to be a patronus. The shadow split into seven eagles and flew out of the window behind the desk.

"I have summoned this highest seven Healers in the country, the most powerful and the most knowledgeable. They shall be here within ten minutes. But for now, can I get you a cuppa of something. Maybe some tea?" Healer Tonnishin didn't wait for Charlie's eager reply before summoning two cups of steaming tea and passing one across the table to Charlie.

"So Charlie, am I right in thinking you work with dragons? I myself am fascinated by the creatures and seriously considered a career with them before converting to Healing," Healer Tonnishin said calmly leaning back in his chair to look at Charlie with both concern and delight at the same time. Charlie failed to miss the sparkle that appeared in the Healer's eyes when he mentioned dragons.

"Yes I do. I used to work in Romania until only about a week ago until I was relocated to Yorkshire," Charlie explained.

"Oh really, I never knew there was a dragon reserve in the UK. Do you know if I would ever be able to visit some time?"

"I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, especially that I'm the Director of the reserve so it's not as if I would need to ask anyone's permission." Charlie took a gulp of tea and immediately felt warmer and calmer.

"Wow, I would love to come if that would be OK," Healer Tonnishin said eagerly.

"Of course, can I recommend you wait a couple of months for everything to calm down what with a change in leadership and the addition of some new dragons soon."

"Whenever you think would be the ideal time so as not to disrupt any day-to-day work. Now, Charlie, what sort of things do you do at a dragon reserve?" Healer Tonnishin and Charlie talked happily for the next ten minutes about all things dragon, ranging from what Charlie did at the reserve to the intricacies of how each dragon has a different living climate to the various types of potions needed on hand. The ten minutes went by very quickly until there was a sharp knock on the door and it flew open. Charlie turned around to see five wizards and two witches standing in the doorway all wearing travelling cloaks.

"Come in, come in," Healer Tonnishin said and he conjured seven more seats to fill his rather cramped office. Upon realising there wasn't enough space for everything and the seven new visitors, Healer Tonnishin vanished his desk and filing cabinet and sent the chairs to form a circle around the room.

"Tea anyone?" he asked. There was a murmur of replies and the Healer summoned more cups of tea and distributed them to the senior Healers.

"Right everyone this is Charlie Weasley, he has some information about the curse Miss Grang- I mean Hermione is under," Healer Tonnishin corrected himself under Charlie's gaze.

"Charlie these are Healers Jones, White, Smythe, Lloyd, Grove, Mulder and Harris," he said gesturing to each of the Healers in turn. They all greeted Charlie with a friendly smile and the longer Charlie sat among their company the calmer he felt and the gladder he was to be telling them everything.

"Charlie, please do tell us what you know so we can heal Miss Granger," the youngest of the Healers, identified to Charlie as Healer Lloyd, said kindly. He had short, messy black hair and round green eyes. He could certainly have been a member of the Potter family. Charlie could see Harry in him and smiled to himself slightly at the sight.

"In June of Hermione's fifth year, so two years ago, she got hit by this what should have been a fatal curse. No one quite knew the full effects of it but it stopped affecting her a few months later so she forgot about it. She was absolutely fine until March time when she was tortured by…by Bellatrix. She told me her recovery was fine apart from a very bad pain in her side but she managed to overcome it for the rest of the year until the battle when she was crushed by a wall. Ever since then she had been getting these bad attacks, each one worse than the one before and the one this morning resulted in her ending up here," Charlie told them as confidently as possible trying to keep back tears at the thought of everything that Hermione had gone through and all she deserved was a rest.

"So all we know is that it could be from a curse from two years ago. That's not much to go on," Healer Harris said truthfully expressing the views of every Healer in the room.

"Actually no. There is more to it," Charlie muttered quietly. The eight Healers sat and listened intently to Charlie as he told them everything from his conversation with Dolohov, even including how he wasn't meant to tell them. Everything except for his torture and that Hermione knew about it.

"Well that really does throw a spanner among the works," Healer Harris said once Charlie was finished. "If you are correct in that this man made up this curse then we're in for a very long and very tough journey to try and find a cure."

"It is made up. But we don't have very long. Hermione has five days, less now. We need to help her," Charlie insisted.

"I hear you Mr Weasley, we all do. But it's not as if we can pause time until we find a cure."

"What about a time turner?" Everyone's eyes shot around to stare unblinkingly at Healer Lloyd.

"We cannot, I repeat cannot, change time. We'll make things even worse. I can't believe you suggested such a thing," the eldest looking Healer said gruffly.

"But why not, we could literally go back in time a couple of hours every now and again, nothing more. Just to give us time," Healer Lloyd insisted.

"No!" Charlie exclaimed, "We're not going to use a time turner, I've only ever heard of awful things that have happened. Plus, haven't they all been destroyed?"

"That's true, they have been. OK, so that's one plan out of the window," Healer Grove said. Everyone slumped back against their chairs thinking of what to do. There was silence in the office.

"I reckon we need to sleep on it, we're not going to think of something now. It's to late and we're all too tired," Healer Tonnishin finally suggested. Everyone agreed and slowly everyone left leaving Charlie and Healer Tonnishin in his office. They restored it back to its original state.

"Go home, Charlie. There's no point in worrying, we're going to get it sorted. Get rested and come back in tomorrow, we'll heal her." Healer Tonnishin gently gripped Charlie on the shoulder before turning out the light and leaving the room. Charlie was left standing in the middle of the darkened office. He walked out of the office and locked the door behind him.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie double-checked there was some light coming from underneath the door and he hadn't just been imagining it. He raised his hand to head height and taking a deep breath he knocked on the dark, wooden door.

"Just a second," a booming voice came from inside the office. Charlie let out a sigh of relief when he heard slow, heavy footsteps walk towards the door. A few seconds later the oak door was opened and Charlie's heart fluttered when he saw just the person he had needed to speak to since two o'clock this morning.

"Charlie? What are you doing here so late?" Kingsley asked, his deep voice echoing in the corridor.

"I'm truly sorry Minister but I really do need to speak to you," Charlie said apologetically.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you," Kingsley said, "I just got an owl from Healer Tonnishin telling me I may be expecting a visit from a certain Weasley now," he finished upon seeing Charlie's confused look. "Come in." Kingsley held the door open and Charlie walked into the large round room and was equally impressed by it as Hermione had been a few weeks prior.

"Have a seat," Kinglsey beckoned to one of the large, green sofas. Charlie took a seat and the Minister sat down opposite him. Kingsley surveyed Charlie for a while before speaking again, "Healer Tonnishin didn't tell me anything, something about probably forgetting something important, so please tell me everying. And Charlie, I mean everything." Charlie knew Kingsley was being deadly serious so he knew then he would have to mention every single detail and tell him a lot more than he had told the Healers an hour earlier. So Charlie began. He began with what Hermione had told him and moved on to what he had witnessed the past few weeks with Hermione. He even included her trip to Hogwarts, and was rather surprised when Kingsley showed no surprise at her visit to the school. He finally told him about what had happened the night before and what he had told Hermione this morning. He told him what had happened to Hermione and how he had felt all day. He told him about his conversation with the Healers and how he had come directly from St Mungo's to the Ministry. Kingsley didn't interrupt him once; much to Charlie's delight because once he started he wasn't able to stop. When Charlie finished, Kingsley sat there for a few moments twiddling his thumbs. He reminded Charlie of Dumbledore and right then Charlie felt like nothing more than for Dumbledore to be alive, he knew Dumbledore would know exactly what to do. But he couldn't underestimate Kingsley, he knew he would try his utmost to help him and Hermione and knew he wouldn't stop until Hermione had been cured and Dolohov had been sent to Azkaban.

"Well, I can't say I know exactly what to do. I haven't had to deal with something like this yet. But that shouldn't worry you Charlie because I will put in every thing I possibly can over the next days, weeks or even months. However long it takes to get this sorted I shall be working every single day on this. I will recruit the best of the best and I will forbid anyone to let this out. The last thing we want is for anyone working for The Daily Prophet to find out or hear rumours and for it all to be leaked. I promise you Charlie; we will get this sorted. Now at this time of night, I know my brain is working to its full ability and all I can think of is trying to find this place that Dolohov is residing in. If he truly is the only one to break this curse then we need to get him. However, I know that isn't necessarily the most rational of thoughts. So right now, we both need to sleep and start properly tomorrow. Now, don't go thinking I'm giving up because I'm not I just know I would achieve nothing until the morning. So, Charlie I want you to go to The Burrow, have some rest and I shall see you at St Mungo's tomorrow morning. I shall need to speak to Hermione about everything as well in the morning," Kingsley finished softly giving Charlie a kind smile and Charlie knew instantly he had made the right decision. Kingsley was going to help him and they were going to help Hermione.

"I have one question though, Minister," Charlie said quietly.

"Please, Charlie, call me Kingsley."

"OK, are you not surprised by it all?" Charlie asked honestly.

"Truthfully, Charlie, I can't say I am. I had a hunch something was going to happen to someone after the Battle. There no way everything was going to normal after Voldemort was defeated and we had won. No, that wasn't go to happen so every day this past month or so I have been expecting a visit from someone to tell me of something like this. I am, however, surprised that it has to do with Hermione and that in actual fact it isn't solely from the Battle but a problem from two years ago. But we'll get it sorted. Right now, however, I think we both need to head off to bed." Kingsley made to stand up but Charlie stayed where to was. Kingsley looked at him with slight confusion etched on his face but knew Charlie had something else to say.

"One last thing. Dolohov did tell me I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. And...well...I have, so how do I know he isn't going to know?" Charlie asked hesitantly, not truly wanting to know the answer. Kingsley sat there for a few moments, mulling over what Charlie had said.

"Honestly, I don't think there is a way but we'll just have to be very careful. You say when you 'met' him it was as if you were summoned, but summoning humans isn't possible so I'm also curious as to what happened then and as I don't know what happened unfortunately I can't exactly put a protection charm around you to prevent it happening again. I'm very happy to try and hope it works. Otherwise, I hate to say it but I can't think of anything else we could do," Kingsley said thoughtfully. Charlie slumped against the back of the sofa, somewhat disappointed by the lack of certainty from the Minister.

"I guess the protection charm wouldn't hurt," he finally said. Kingsley nodded and beckoned Charlie to stand up. Kingsley pulled out his wand from inside his robe. After taking a deep breath he swirled his wand in a complicated movement over Charlie's head. A pale, silver light spread down Charlie as he felt a cool shiver spread through his spine and down his extremities right to his fingers and toes. As rapidly as the light and the cold feeling appeared the bright glow vanished and Charlie felt very light. He examined his hands and was glad to notice nothing had changed.

"That's one of the most powerful protective charms I could do. I don't know if it will do anything but we'll just have to hope." Kingsley smiled down at Charlie, who immediately felt very calm. Charlie bid the Minister good night and left the office to head back to The Burrow.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Charlie! Where have you been? We've been worried sick," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as Charlie walked into the kitchen a few minutes later. Charlie sat down in an empty seat next to Ginny before speaking.

"I need to tell you something," Charlie said looking down at the table, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone around the table. The Weasleys and Harry didn't say anything; they just sat there waiting for Charlie to speak. Most filled with some dread thinking it was bad news to do with Hermione. Charlie took a gulp and looked up and over at Bill.

"It's a very complex situation-"

"Does it have to do with what's going on with Hermione?" Harry butted in.

"Yes," Charlie said simply, "and Harry you'll understand it the most I think." Harry looked over at Charlie and they exchanged a worried, yet understanding look. Harry immediately had an idea about what Charlie was about to say but didn't mention anything. He knew Charlie would tell them everything, irrespective of what it was. Harry watched Charlie take a deep breath before starting and it wasn't to his surprise when Charlie mentioned the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

"It all started about two years ago, that night Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and was it Neville and Luna, were at the Department of Mysteries trying to find Sirius. I guess you're all aware that Hermione was hit by a curse; one that she told me Madam Pompfrey said she was lucky to have survived. Well it turns out that the Death Eater who fired it had somehow actually made it up and it's one that's meant to be triggered by further events to…to kill the receiver," Charlie choked on his last words and everyone saw tears brim in his eyes. Charlie sat there for a few moments before clearing his throat and continuing. He told them everything just how he had told Kingsley; he didn't leave out anything as he had done when explaining it all to the Healers. Each time that evening he had told people he found it harder and harder to get the words out. It took him at least ten minutes longer to tell his family than it had taken him to explain everything to Kingsley. He kept on pausing, tears silently spilling down his face as he came to terms with everything for the third time that evening. He explained how Dolohov was going to use Hermione to have children and how him telling them was putting both himself and everyone around him in danger. He apologized profusely to his family for burdening them but he knew he couldn't hold it in for much longer. And he knew that they would do whatever it took to help him and Hermione. He finished by telling them about his conversation with Kingsley.

"It's just a really crap situation right now," Charlie finished looking over at his father, who he knew would know what to tell him.

"Charlie," Mrs. Weasley croaked out. Charlie looked over at his mother and wasn't surprised in the slightest upon seeing tears also fall down her cheeks. But before she could continue, the father of the family spoke up.

"Charlie, thank you for telling us. It must have been incredibly difficult for you to keep it to yourself and a huge burden has just been lifted off your chest. We know you care a lot about Hermione, just as we all do, and so we will do everything in our power to sort this out. It's going to be a long few days as we tackle both Dolohov and the curse, but we'll make it. I can guarantee he's not going to get away with this," Mr. Weasley smiled weakly at his son, trying to give off an air of positivity and success.

"That's it though. We have but four days now, how are we going to do it?" Charlie asked meekly.

"Four days is longer than you realise. And judging by what you just told us about your conversation with Kingsley he will be getting the best of the best to help. We will get it sorted. And, Merlin forbids, if we don't that man will pay for it." Charlie saw anger flash across his father's face and knew that if they were unsuccessful over the next four days, Dolohov was not going to get away with it; they would hunt him down, even it took years. Charlie's stomach twisted at the thought of Hermione not making it but he felt he was slowly going to have to accept it was an option, especially when he saw her the next day.

"We'll work it out, we will all help," Bill said firmly down the silent table. Charlie smiled at his elder brother, his best friend, the person he trusted the most. There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the Weasleys and Harry. Charlie cast a look over at Ron, knowing he and Hermione hadn't exactly been on the best terms recently and was surprised to see him looking a white as a sheet, his eyes glassy as he stared at the empty seat opposite him that would have been occupied by Hermione. At that moment, Charlie knew Ron regretted everything he had ever said to Hermione, both recently about the NEWT training and in the past seven years he had known her for. Looking over at the only black-haired boy at the table, Charlie saw a very similar expression etched across his face. There was a friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione that no one could replicate. Even Fred and George's twin-ship didn't replicate what those three had. They were more than friends, more than best friends, more even than family. Charlie, then, knew he wanted to help Hermione more for Harry and Ron than for himself. Whatever his feelings were for Hermione, they weren't even near what Harry, Ron and Hermione experienced.

"I'm going to bed," Ginny said abruptly, bringing Charlie back to his senses. Ginny stood up and left the kitchen without wishing anyone a goodnight. Conversation began to fill the room as the leftovers of dinner where cleared up. Charlie grabbed the nearest plate of food and began to eat, only then noticing just how hungry he was. By the time he had finished and cleared up, he was the only one still in the kitchen. He turned off the light and stood in the darkness for a minute before heading to the living room, where he was surprised to also find no one. He headed up the stairs up to bed to get some sleep before the next day despite knowing full well he wasn't going to let himself fall asleep incase he was 'summoned' by Dolohov. As he past Ginny's room he head muffled sobs from inside. He paused outside it for a moment before knocking and pushing open the door. He could make out Ginny lying face down on her bed, crying into her pillow.

"Ginny?" he asked quietly. A louder sob confirmed that she needed someone to talk to. He slowly plodded across the soft carpet over to Ginny's bed, where he climbed on top of the covers. He soothingly rubbed his only sister's back. Ginny sat up and stared into Charlie's eyes, hers bloodshot and puffy. He placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him as she cried some more into his chest.

"This is not fair, Charlie," Ginny said as she pulled away and looked up at him.

"I know Gin, it's not but we're going to get through it all," Charlie replied.

"Why would he do that? What does he gain from it? I just don't get it."

"Neither do I, it seems very odd. I get he's trying to become the next Voldemort but he's acting a little oddly," Charlie said truthfully.

"I just need her to be OK. She's my best friend and I just don't think I can lose her," Ginny sniffed.

"We all do Gin, none of us can lose her. It was hard enough after the battle but now when we know it's more likely it's going to be really tough. But we've got to stay strong, for each other and the rest of our family but also for her. As much as it's awful for us, it's just as bad for her and we can't forget that," Charlie said.

"Does she know about the curse and everything?" Ginny asked tentatively, not entirely wanting to know the answer.

"Yeah she does," Charlie said quietly. He thought about Hermione lying in the hospital bed all by herself with no one to keep her company in this hard time. He would try to persuade the Healers to let him stay with her over night, maybe now that they knew the whole story they might let him.

"You really like her don't you?" Ginny asked looking over at Charlie.

"It's hard not to," he replied making eye contact with Ginny and smiling gently.

"I always knew she would end up with a brother of mine, she spends too much time with you all not to," she laughed slightly.

"That's looking to the future a bit too quickly isn't it Gin?"

"Nah, you're perfect for her and you obviously really care about her. You were really struggling to tell us everything at dinner; we all noticed it. Don't let something like this stop you from being with someone you love," Ginny told her elder brother. She and Charlie had always had a bond that she didn't have with any of her other brothers. They were much closer and he had always looked after her as she was growing up, telling her all about Hogwarts and how to get back at Fred and George. She knew Charlie was perfect for Hermione.

"I don't think I love her, Ginny," Charlie said but turned a light shade of pink, he was very glad it was dark and she wasn't able to see his blush.

"You will, I know it." Her eyes twinkled in the dark.

"Goodnight, Ginny. I'll see you in the morning." Charlie stood up and walked over to the door.

"Charlie?" He turned around at her question.

"She'll be fine," she told him. He nodded and left the room, unaware how much his life would change the next day.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it and sorry it was so long, I didn't realise it was quite as long as it was! Don't forget to leave a review please!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I am so so so sorry it's been forever, I had exams and then my laptop charger broke and I had to get a new one which took forever to come but here you go! Here's chapter 14, I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to leave a review at the end!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 14**

Charlie didn't sleep that night; he was so worried that if he did Dolohov would somehow be able to get him. He kept himself occupied by thinking of things he could do to help Hermione, but to no avail. He hadn't succeeded in anything and was getting so annoyed that he took himself for a fly in the very early hours of the morning. He watched the sunrise over the hills and waited until eight o'clock until turning back for breakfast at The Burrow. He left his broom in the shed and began to make his way over to the house when he bumped into Ron.

"Ron? What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing really. I couldn't sleep very well so went on a walk," he replied. "What are you doing?'

"Couldn't sleep so went on a fly," Charlie remarked.

"You should have said, I would have joined you."

"Honestly, I needed some time to myself," Charlie said turning around to face Ron to ask him why he couldn't sleep.

"I…I was thinking about what you told us last night. Guessing it's the same for you?" Charlie nodded and they began to walk slowly towards the house, where they could smell wafts of one of Mrs. Weasley's famous fry-ups. They walked up to the house in silence before suddenly hearing a large crash and a shout.

"They found out?" Mrs. Weasley cried from the kitchen. Charlie and Ron exchanged a quick look before hurrying inside and to the kitchen, where they found Mrs. Weasley sitting at the table bent over obviously reading something laid out in front of her as Mr. Weasley sat at the head of the table watching her closely looking shocked.

"What is it mum?" Ron asked sitting down opposite his mother. She held up her hand to keep him quiet for a bit as she finished the article from the Daily Prophet. She looked up towards Charlie and Ron very pale.

"They know about Hermione," she said simply. All the colour had drained from her face, "Someone told the Daily Prophet she was at St. Mungo's." She passed the newspaper across the table and Charlie and Ron leant in to read the article spread across the front page, headlined _GRANGER IN BAD SHAPE AT ST MUNGO'S._

 _It has been brought to the Daily Prophet's attention that one of the Golden Trio who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Hermione Granger, was admitted into St. Mungo's Centre of Magical Maladies and Injuries yesterday morning. It is currently unknown what is wrong with her but we have been informed that 'it did not look good'. Witnesses said she was carried, unconscious, into the Reception by a 'tall, ginger-haired, muscular man' before being directed to the Fourth Floor: Spell Damage, which does leave us with some ideas of what may have put her into such a bad shape. Witnesses have described her as 'pale and fragile looking, with what seemed like a broken wrist, and dried blood in her hair on her clothes'. We shall endeavor to find out what has happened and keep everyone informed of the status of one of the Golden Trio._

Charlie stopped reading – he couldn't bring himself to read anymore, it seemed that the rest of the article was about Harry, Ron and Hermione's success in defeating Voldemort.

"They bloody well will not find out about her," Ron spat. Mr. Weasley announced her agreement as Charlie just sat there in disbelief not quite understanding how they knew.

"What I don't get is how they found out?" Mrs. Weasley voiced Charlie's thoughts.

"I guess it'll be the people in the Reception who saw her and thought they would get paid or whatever if they told the Daily Prophet," Charlie said as he continued to stare at the picture of Hermione on the front of the Daily Prophet. It was of her laughing at what seemed to have been a few years earlier, and it looked like she had been cropped from a photo, presumably one of herself Harry and Ron.

"Quiet in here isn't it Forge," a voice came from the doorway. Ron turned around to watch his elder twin brothers enter the kitchen.

"The Daily Prophet know about Hermione," he told them and the cheerfulness vanished from their faces in an instant. They hurried to the table and read the article over Charlie and Ron's shoulders.

"That's disgraceful," George said.

"How would they know?" Fred asked at the same time.

"We guess it'll have been someone in the Reception room who saw me arrive with her who wanted money or something," Charlie repeated.

"Well, what is done is done. We can't sit here and dwell on it all. Let's have some breakfast and head over to St. Mungo's, we'll need to make sure they don't find anything more," Mrs. Weasley announced to the silent kitchen a few minutes later as she stood up and began bustling around and continuing with the fry up. They all sat there and ate in silence; Harry and Ginny joined them within five minutes. They all sat there trying to talk about light-hearted topics despite the article and Hermione being at the forefront of their minds.

"We had better-"

"-get to the shop-"

"-wouldn't want to-"

"-leave the customers waiting-"

"-we'll pop over-"

"-during our lunch break." Fred and George finished each other's thoughts before standing up, bidding farewell and apparating to their shop, that had been up and running for the past two weeks.

"I'm going to have to go the Ministry," Mr. Weasley added as he stood up from the end of the table. "I'll try and see if I can work out what happened with the Daily Prophet." Mr. Weasley sent his empty plate to the sink before planting a kiss on his wife's cheek and disapparating from the kitchen with a loud pop. Harry, Ron, Charlie, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sat there in silence for a while pondering over the article.

"I should go and see Hermione. She'll probably want someone with her," Charlie said quietly after a while. Just how his father had done a few minutes earlier, Charlie sent his plate to the sink.

"We'll all come and visit you at lunchtime," Mrs. Weasley said as she gave her second eldest son a hug.

"Don't worry about it Charlie, we'll work it all out I promise,' she whispered in his ear. Charlie smiled weakly at his mother.

"Bye you lot, don't cause too many problems with mum," he said to the youngest three and with a wave he headed to the living room to Floo over to St Mungo's.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie was not in the least bit surprised by the number of reporters that filled the reception at St Mungo's as he stepped out of the fireplace. He was, however, furious when they swarmed him like bees upon recognising the 'tall, ginger-haired, muscular man' and bombarded him with a thousand questions a minute about Hermione. How they found out really pissed him off, Healer Tonnishin had promised no one would find out about her. He was also angry with the receptionist who was doing absolutely nothing to try and get rid of the reporters. But most of all, he was pissed off at the fact that it was taking him five minutes to walk a mere two steps in an attempt to go and visit Hermione.

"JUST BACK THE HELL OFF!" he finally roared at the crowd. The reception fell silent. "Right now I don't care what you know, I don't care how you know about her but for the love of Merlin get it into your thick skulls that I will not be telling you anything," he said slowly and carefully enunciating the last few words. "Now if you wouldn't mind I have a friend to go and visit." He barged through the crowd towards the staircase and without looking back he hurried up the stairs two at a time to the fourth floor. Upon reaching the correct level he followed the corridors he remembered from the night before to where he knew Hermione was.

Charlie found Hermione's room with relative ease and pushed open the door. However, inside the room wasn't exactly what he was expecting. He was expecting, well hoping really, the lights would be on and Hermione would be up and happy. However, it was the complete opposite. Thick curtains had been drawn across the windows and all the lights were off. As the door closed behind him, Charlie was thrown into darkness. It took a while for his eyes to adjust, with only a crack of light coming from around the door behind him and a tiny bit of sunlight spreading underneath the curtains falling onto Hermione. Charlie could make out her silhouette on the bed and was relieved to see her chest moving up and down in a regular and relaxed fashion. He took a few silent steps towards her bed to get a closer look at her. He had to clasp his hand over his mouth to stop and audible gasp from waking her up.

She looking nothing like how he had left her less than 12 hours previously. In fact, she looked almost unrecognisable and Charlie was almost convinced he was in the wrong room had it not have been for the sign on the door. Dry blood covered the bedding and her face and neck were caked in it. Her head was still wrapped in a bandage and yet blood was seeping through and staining it red instead of white. She had a nasty gash on her forehead that was oozing some yellow looking pus. Both of her eyes were black and swollen and her nose was crooked and clearly badly broken. She supported many more gashes along her right cheek and chin. Her top lip was cut and swollen badly. Blood was still falling from her lips and it looked to Charlie that her jaw might have been broken. He didn't even want to know what other damage had happened to the rest of her body. Without wanting to wake her, he quietly left the room, the image of her lying hopeless on the bed etched forever in his memory.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED TO HER?" Charlie roared for the second time that morning, this time to Healer Tonnishin five minutes later after locating the healer in his office.

"Why don't you have a seat?" the healer suggested beckoning towards the seat Charlie had occupied the night before.

"I'm fine standing," Charlie said bitterly through gritted teeth and continued to pace the office. He was furious and confused. What on earth had happened? Why was she like that? But the emotion more prevalent than both confusion and anger was worry. He was concerned about her and uncertainty in the air pained him even more. All he wanted was this to be over. After the battle all he had wished for was for everything to go back to normal. Yet this was hardly normal.

"Charlie, I would like for you to sit down please," Healer Tonnishin said calmly form the other side of the desk. Reluctantly Charlie obeyed and sat down. He immediately felt himself collapse into the chair, the tension form his back and shoulders relaxing somewhat now that he was no longer pacing.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or just leaving it at that?" Charlie asked and was greatly surprised at just how calm his voice came out despite the rage firing up inside of him. The elderly healer took a deep breath.

"Truth be told, Charlie, we don't know," he said quietly looking down at the desk rather than at Charlie.

"You don't know?" Charlie shouted the rage boiling over. "I thought you were meant to be Healers. I thought you were meant to make people better not let them get worse."

"We're working on it Charlie but Hermione's circumstances are very unusual and we haven't had to deal with an unknown made up curse before so we really don't know quite what we're facing," Healer Tonnishin said truthfully. Charlie knew the healer was telling him the truth and yet he still felt uneasy.

"Please can you at least tell me what you know?" Charlie asked strongly despite the tears filling his eyes.

"Not long after you left last night Hermione went into cardiac arrest, her heart stopped pumping blood. Judging by what I read in her file it was similar to what happened when she was here after the battle. Fortunately, we were able to revive her and after checking her over with a variety of diagnostic charms we confirmed she was fine. She appeared to be fine all night. I had her checked on every half and hour and each check-up came back positive. I was not worried at all. It happened not too long ago. I, myself, checked her at 8:30 this morning and she was doing very well and was even having something to eat. By the time I went back just after 9 she was in the position she's in now. I've run every test I know and nothing came up but I promise to continue trying and will let you know as soon as I find anything out," Healer Tonnishin told Charlie calmly and strongly.

"So was it a person? Because it seems like someone got in and beat the hell out of her," Charlie queried.

"We have no idea, Charlie. It's unlikely to have been a person as they wouldn't have got in without being notices. But then again it does seem odd if they were some of the effects of that curse," the elderly healer sighed. Charlie recognised a look of concern on the healer's face and knew instantly that they were all as worried as himself.

"But it's a possibily it was a person."

"It's always a possibility, but just unlikely."

"OK, but how come she's still covered in blood. It's been, what, 20 minutes since you saw here so surely it would just be respectful to clean her?" Charlie asked after a few moments silence. He was surprised when Healer Tonnishin let out a slight chuckle.

"You really care about her don't you? I reckon you got in there in the few minutes between myself leaving and someone else going in to clean her up. If you go back now I guarantee she will no longer be covered in blood."

"Thank you for clarifying everything. I sincerely hope you work it out and I'll see you later," Charlie said and stood up from the armchair. He left the office without saying another word.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"It was awful, it was as if someone had come in here and physically beaten her face to a pulp," Charlie explained to the rest of the Weasleys and Harry when they all made an appearance at lunch. Charlie hadn't left Hermione's bedside since his conversation with Healer Tonnishin and to exacerbate his worry she hadn't woken up, let alone move just a finger. The Weasleys and Harry had found Charlie in the tearoom on the fifth floor when the arrived. Charlie looked up and wasn't surprised to see the odd tear spill down both Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's cheeks.

"The poor girl, it just doesn't seem to stop," Mrs. Weasley said as she blew her nose on a handkerchief.

"And Healer Tonnishin didn't say what happened?" Ron asked quietly. Charlie shook his head.

"He was very vague about it all," Charlie said. "I dunno, it might just be me but I feel he might be hiding something."

"I got the same feeling yesterday when you told me about him," Bill said from the corner where he had his arm around Fleur's shoulders.

"I'm sure he's doing everything he can. It must be incredibly difficult to be thrown into this situation, it's hardly the easiest case to solve," Mr. Weasley said.

"I'm not doubting he is. I just find something slightly off about him. I don't know why and I can't quite put my finger on it. He seems lovely and all and really does seem to be trying to help Hermione but I dunno there's just something funny about him," Bill clarified. Everyone sat in silence, not quite sure what to say in response to Bill's comment. Truth be told any of them had been thinking something was off about Healer Tonnishin but no one truly wanted to believe it. They all just hoped he was trying his best to help Hermione rather than anything else.

"How about we go and see if Hermione's up yet?" Mrs. Weasley asked the quiet room in a hope to improve the atmosphere.

"I don't think she will be," Charlie said quietly looking down at his feet. Deep inside him he feared that Hermione may never wake up but that was something he kept to himself. He also didn't think that everyone quite understood the full affect of the curse. He felt that right then they were al living in ignorant bliss, or at least that was what they were giving off.

"Well, there's no harm in going to see her," Mrs. Weasley said. There was a murmur of agreement form everyone but Charlie, who just sat there in silence. He didn't budge as everyone around him began to stand up and leave.

"You coming Charlie?" Ron called from the door.

"I think I'll just stay here thanks," Charlie said still not raising his head. Then there was silence as everyone left, or at least he thought everyone had left so he was somewhat surprised when he finally looked up to see Bill sitting in the hard, plastic seat next to him. But Charlie was inwardly very pleased to see his elder brother.

"I don't know what's going on with me," Charlie said simply. "Nothing feels right. I feel like I should be doing something but I don't know what. I want to help her, there's nothing more I want to do right now. But what do I do? I'm not a healer and I'm not naturally that clever. I can't think of anything that will help her. Bill, I'm really scared." Silent tears began to fall down Charlie's cheeks.

"I know, Charlie. It's terrifying. No one knows at all what's going on and we all just feel hopeless sitting around and doing absolutely nothing. But, I don't think we can do anything. Like you say we're not Healers so we're not going to know what to do. The curse was made up so we're not going to know the full effects of it. It kills me inside to tell you this, but honestly there is nothing we can do. We've just got to be with Hermione and everyone during this really difficult time. We're going to get through this, whether with or without Hermione but Charlie please just don't do anything stupid," Bill comforted his brother.

"She can't die, Bill. I can't watch her die whilst doing absolutely nothing. It's just not fair," Charlie said his voice quavering.

"I know that Charlie, we all know that. But Kingsley already has a plan-" Charlie sat bolt upright when he heard that the minister had an idea.

"He does?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"I saw him earlier. He didn't say much but judging by his cryptic message to dad and what he said to me I think it's safe to say he is fully involved in this. He said he would come and see you this afternoon." Charlie let out a sigh and slumped back against the chair. Kingsley had a plan. That was a good thing, a really good thing in fact. It meant that they might be able to help Hermione.

"What did he say?"

"Not much, but he did tell me to pass on the message that he will come and find you this afternoon." The two eldest Weasleys sat in the tearoom in silence waiting for the rest of their family to return.

10 minutes hadn't passed since they left before the Weasleys returned back to the tearoom all wearing the exact same look on their face.

"What is it?" Bill asked when they all returned, "I thought you'd be longer."

"She…she wasn't there," Ginny said weakly before collapsing into a chair by the door and starting to cry.

"What?" Charlie said sharply and jumped to his feet.

"She wasn't in her room," Mrs. Weasley repeated quietly. "There wasn't even a sign on her door." And she too sat down in one of the hard, plastic seats.

"Where the hell was she then?" Charlie asked loudly. They all just stared at him blankly, all white in the face. And then it dawned on Charlie. Hermione wasn't in her room. There was no sign on her door. She had been moved. Before any other thoughts could fill his head Charlie's knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor, shaking with sobs. He whole body shook as he just lost it. She had died. He had left her for twenty minutes to get some lunch and she had died. It was his fault. If he hadn't have left her he would have been able to save her. The last image he had of her was how she had looked when he first arrived that morning, battered and bruised. And it was going to be the last memory of her. Charlie could hear more tears and more crying in the distant. He knew that his breakdown had confirmed to everyone else what had happened and also pushed them over the edge. He felt a comforting arm over his shoulders but he shook it off. He didn't want comforting. He didn't want attention. All he wanted was to be with Hermione. He needed time to himself.

Charlie stood up quickly and ignoring the questions and inquisitive looks from his family he darted out of the tearoom. He ran down the stairs ignoring all of the odd looks he received. He reached the reception and seeing the room still filled with reporters made him angry but he was too distraught to even care. He barged past them not caring about the shouts about him as he elbowed he way to the entrance. He pushed open the door onto the muggle street. Taking a quick look around and satisfied he was alone he turned on his heal and disapparated.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie landed with a thump and stumbled to the ground. No sooner had he landed did he promptly throw up everywhere. He felt sick. He had just lost the person he felt he would spend the rest of his life with. He just lost the person he loved. She had died. And it was his entire fault. If he hadn't have been so careless in sending that spell in the battle and causing the wall to fall down. If he hadn't have kept his distance from her when she first left St Mungo's he could have realised she was in trouble sooner. If he hadn't have left for Romania he could have helped her sooner. If he hadn't have told everyone she may still be alive. If he hadn't have left to have some lunch because he cared more about his stomach than Hermione she would most definitely still be alive. Maybe Dolohov's threat to torture him if he told everyone was actually a lie and he would just kill her sooner. She was meant to have at least four more days so they could help her. But no, instead she died, or she was killed.

It had gotten dark before Charlie moved inside the old house in the moors. He had gone for a walk in the moors, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. It wasn't until he saw the moon in the sky did he think it was time to go inside. The house was near the dragon reserve and had come across it a few weeks ago when he visited. No one else knew about it. He knew he would have some time to himself to get his composure back before he went and killed Dolohov with his own hands. Charlie lit the fire and summoned some Butterbeer, he had stocked up last time he was here in case he found himself in a situation like this. He collapsed down onto the sofa and watched the flames dance around in the fireplace taking the occasional sip of Butterbeer regretting the fact that he didn't stock up on Firewhiskey in stead as he was in great need of something stronger.

Not long after he sat down did a small piece of parchment float through the window and land on his lap. Charlie put his Butterbeer on the floor and picked up the parchment. It had been ripped off a larger piece of parchment and had only nine words written on it in an almost illegible scrawl. Charlie gulped and felt the blood rush from his face as he read the message:

 _I thought I told you not to tell anyone._

 **(A/N: again so sorry it's been forever but please do leave a review with your thoughts - they are really appreciated!)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A new chapter for you! It's definitely not my favourite - feels a bit of a jumble but think it is necessary! Hope you enjoy it in anywise and do let me now what you think!**

 **HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 15**

There was a knock on his bedroom door. Ron looked up from his bed to see Harry walk in and sit down on the spare mattress. Both boys' eyes were red and puffy. They sat there in silence, appreciating the quiet company of each other.

"What do we do know?" Harry finally hiccupped.

"I…I don't know," Ron replied his voice thick with tears.

"I never thought we would actually lose her."

"Me neither, I feel like crap."

"I know how you feel," Harry said as he lay back and stared up at the ceiling, tears stinging his eyes.

"I don't think you do though, mate," Ron said blankly. Harry didn't know what to say back to Ron, he was somewhat confused by the comment. Surely they would both be feeling the same, they had both just lost their best friend.

"I was so horrible to her," Ron finally said and Harry understood. Although he couldn't fathom what had actually happened at least he hadn't lost his temper at Hermione. At least the last time they spoke wasn't during a shouting argument and telling her she only cared about herself.

"Ron, it was in the heat of the moment. You were angry and hungry and you took it out on her. You didn't mean it. You and I both know, even Hermione knew, that you didn't mean it," Harry said firmly sitting up and facing Ron.

"How would you feel if they last time you said anything to her was about her being selfish and not caring about us two? How would you feel knowing that the last time she spoke to you, you just shouted at her? Her last memory of me would have been when I stormed off cos I had shouted at her about my stomach. My ruddy stomach, Harry. That was what I cared about. Not her. I never even apologised to her." Harry saw fresh tears fall down Ron's face.

"Ron, you didn't mean it. You didn't mean any of it. You were just frustrated, I promise that is all it was. Really don't worry. Hermione had better priorities and she will have remembered all of the other times you made her laugh. Seriously, mate, Hermione wasn't stupid – you said so yourself, so honestly you just need to trust that she forgot about you blowing up in her face," Harry consoled his best friend.

"Easy enough for you to say," Ron said through gritted teeth, "you never ruined your relationship with her."

"I beg to differ. We had our own problems. We just managed to not make a scene in front of your entire family." Harry was glad to see a small smile twitch at the corner of Ron's mouth. "Look, mate. Hermione was truly something special. I still don't understand how we became friends. We really did not deserve her. But she stood by us the entire time, even when we were pissed at her whatever she did she did to help us. We certainly didn't deserve a friend like that. There were so many times she got us out of sticky situations but we also helped her many a time, especially the troll. Not gonna lie but I do reckon we are the reason she was kept sane, without us she would definitely have been all books and no play. So seriously Ron she's not going to have remembered your argument when she could have remembered all of those fantastic memories we made in the past seven years so stop worrying and remember those memories as well. And we've got to carry on, the last thing she would have wanted would have been for us to go into a slump and not achieve anything. So lets go and ace these NEWTs and do her proud, cos I think that's the only way we can begin to repay her for everything she has done for us." Ron looked at Harry for a bit before doing something completely unexpected. He climbed off his bed and threw himself at Harry and gave him a hug, something he had never done before. Harry patted Ron's back, unsure on what exactly to do.

"You're right Harry, Hermione wouldn't want us to do nothing - we actually need to pass these exams," Ron said smiling as he broke away from Harry and stood up. "Let's go see if Ginny's feeling better. You might need to tell her what you just told me." Harry nodded and together they left Ron's room and headed downstairs.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Harry and Ron walked into the kitchen for dinner three days later after slogging through a whole day of Potions and were surprised to see Charlie sitting at the table. He didn't look much like Charlie though. His hair was matted and a few twigs were stuck in it. He face and arms were muddy and his clothes ripped. It looked like he had also a few pounds in the four days since they had last seen him.

"Charlie! Nice to see you bro," Fred said eagerly from behind Harry and Ron, making both of the jump at the sound of his voice. Charlie looked up and smiled at the three of them.

"How are you lot doing?" he asked.

"OK I guess, where have you been?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I just needed some time to myself. I found a house near the reserve in Yorkshire and stayed there for a bit," Charlie said. They were all surprised at how cheerful he seemed. When he returned they were expecting him to be miserable, they guessed that spending time by himself did him some good.

"It looks like you've been living outside," Ron said as he sat down opposite his elder brother.

"Yeah, well, I guess I enjoyed going on walks and there was no shower in the house so couldn't really wash," Charlie shrugged his shoulders.

"You're a wizard you twat, ever heard of magic before?" Ron teased, which made Charlie smile.

"I kinda lived without magic, my mind wasn't really in it." They sat there in silence before Mrs. Weasley reappeared, from fetching Ginny, to dish up dinner. She placed an extra generous portion of food in front of Charlie, knowing full well he hadn't eaten much for the past few days.

"I have to say it is nice to know you're not being eaten by a bear or something similar anymore, Charlie," Mr. Weasley said as they all tucked into the delicious smelling lasagne.

"I guess I just needed some time to myself to come to terms with everything that happened," Charlie said quietly. Truth be told he still hadn't come to terms with it. Once he had got over the initial shock of what had happened, he realised that somewhere deep inside he didn't deem it to be true. The more he thought about it the more he believed what had happened hadn't actually happened. But he wasn't sure how he could ask if anyone felt the same. He had to do something to prove she hadn't died and he figured he would most likely be doing that alone. Judging by how everyone had been acting for the 20 minutes he had been back they were all still believing it to be true. And who would blame them? Healer Tonnishin had confirmed to him she had died, why would they believe anything else?

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

A week had passed since Hermione had died and a meeting had been arranged at The Burrow that evening, to celebrate Hermione's life but also to inform more people of the curse so that they could defeat Dolohov and anyone who was working with him. Miraculously, everyone had managed to keep Hermione's death within the family and friends and away from the media so no one in the outside world was aware of what had happened. There had been a slight struggle to prevent Xenophilius Lovegood from reporting it in The Quibbler but they had managed to persuade him against it.

Charlie had wandered outside to get away from the madness that was his mother as she tried to finish everything before that evening. It was a warm afternoon, not too hot though, just how Charlie liked it. There was a slight breeze and Charlie mused over the sound of chirping birds. He took a walk around to the far side of the lake, ending up in his favourite place of The Burrow's garden. About seven apple and pear trees formed circle surrounding a large, rock bench sitting in the centre. It was so clam and peaceful and Charlie was always able to get far away from the manic than normally occurred in the Weasley household. Charlie walked over to the bench, transfigured a leaf into a cushion and sat down deep in thought.

They were celebrating Hermione's life this evening but it just didn't feel right. They shouldn't be celebrating someone who hadn't died. Charlie was convinced she was still alive, but he didn't know how to explain it to anyone, not even himself. How did he know? How could he be so certain with absolutely no proof? It didn't make sense to Charlie, but it was what he felt. Could he have developed a bond with her? Some kind of magical bond? But how would that have been possible? They hadn't even been that close until recently and there was no way they could have formed a bond; surely that was impossible? But was it impossible? Of course it was, he would surely have noticed if somehow such a strong bond that he could tell if she were dead or not had formed between them. Charlie shook his head to clear his mind of these ludicrous thoughts. His thoughts were utter nonsense; he was being daft and just trying to think up of reasons why he didn't believe in her death. But there was also something else troubling his mind. But before he could contemplate anything, he heard rustling behind him.

"I thought I might find you here," a soft voice came from behind. Charlie turned around to see Ginny standing in between two trees. Charlie smiled at his sister.

"Hey, Ginny," he said and patted the cushion next to him. She walked over and sat down next to him. Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leant into his shoulder and he rested his head on the top of hers. They sat there like that for what felt like hours.

"Why did you run away, Charlie?" Ginny finally asked. Charlie lifted up his head and looked down at his youngest sibling.

"I'm not entirely sure. I reckon I was so distraught and couldn't really come to terms with it all. I just needed space and that's really not something I can get if I'm here," he said truthfully.

"That makes sense, but you know you could have at least told us where you were? Mum was going mad."

"I know that Ginny and honestly I tried. I really did. I tried summoning an owl, that didn't work. I tried sending a patronus, that didn't work. Merlin, I even tried apparating and that didn't work. It's almost like all the magic dissipated from me and I was no one. I couldn't do anything. I was trying everything over and over and I have absolutely no idea what was going on but nothing worked. It wasn't until this morning when I tried to make a fire and it worked that I realised it all came back so I apparated straight back. I have no idea what happened and it's definitely something I'm going to look up when I'm feeling more up for it." Ginny sat up and stared at her brother.

"That's really weird, have you spoken to anyone about it?"

"I feel like people would think of it just as an excuse. They're not going to believe that your magic can just leave you – how on earth would I explain it to anyone?" Charlie shrugged. It was something that had bothered him for a while. What happened to mean he could no longer perform magic? How was that even possible?

"I can help you read about it if you would like," Ginny offered.

"Thanks Gin – that would be really helpful. I reckon it might be a little bit longer until I start reading up on it though," Charlie said smiling at his sister. They both sat there in silence listening to the light and cheerful tweeting birds during the time of gloom.

"I reckon we should probably get back before mum goes absolutely mad and sticks our heads down the loo for not helping," Ginny finally said. Charlie gave a small chuckle before standing up and stretching.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Mrs. Weasley kept all of the children busy for the rest of the afternoon. From mowing the lawn to de-gnoming the garden to repainting the shed, Charlie was very glad for the distraction. It didn't take long for him to break a sweat and his mind to be wholly focused on his tasks.

Just after six o'clock, Ginny brought a cold pumpkin juice outside to Charlie, who had now moved on to washing the windows.

"Mum says to go have a shower and get ready, everyone will be here in half an hour or so," she said handing him over the glass of juice.

"OK, just got a few more windows to do and then I'll be in," Charlie said gratefully slurping at the pumpkin juice. "Mum kept you busy as well?" Ginny laughed.

"She drives me mad quite a bit, I mean why do I need to do the bed sheets?" she groaned.

"I feel you, why did I have to repaint the shed? It's just a meeting," Charlie laughed. He finished his juice and handed the glass back to Ginny. "Thank you, I'll be in in a few minutes." Ginny smiled and walked back into the house. Charlie stood there for a while, contemplating how everything that was going on at the moment shouldn't have been happening. He wasn't ready for the evening. He wasn't quite sure what his mother had planned for the evening but either way he wasn't ready for it. He knew that to begin with everyone would be talking about Hermione and praising her. He'd thought of her, of course he had. He hadn't stopped thinking about her for the past week but he just wasn't ready to talk about her. He felt there was a different connection in the brain if he were talking about her than if he were just relishing their evening chats. And he didn't feel that connection had built up yet. Sighing, Charlie returned to the last few windows. He had finished the lawn and shed very quickly and the twins had taken the de-gnoming for themselves so Charlie had decided to wash the windows the muggle way: by hand with soap and water.

Five minutes later and Charlie had finished. He wiped his sweaty and wet hands down the front of his jeans and headed back inside. The kitchen wasn't how he had left it a few hours ago. Mrs. Weasley had cleaned every nook and cranny and it was now sparkling. Large amounts of food were sitting on the table: slices of roast beef, cupcakes and a large bowl of cherries took Charlie's eyes in particular. Looking around the kitchen he also spotted a large number of photos of a smiling and happy looking Hermione, some of just her but a number with Harry and Ron. Seeing just how happy Hermione was caused a few tears to fill Charlie's eyes. Wiping at his eyes, Charlie smiled to himself and hurried upstairs for a shower and a clean set of clothes.

As he stood under the shower, letting the warm water trickle down his back Charlie thought of what he was going to do. He knew that it wouldn't take long until they filled all of the visitors in on the curse and from then the conversation would change to how they could defy Dolohov. Yes, it was going to be vital to stop him from causing any more problems. But, was Hermione really dead? Should their next actions be in trying to find her rather than defeating Dolohov? Dolohov had said he was the only one to save her, and then he was going to use to 'make more of him'. Charlie shuddered at the thought of what Dolohov could be doing to Hermione as they speak. Thinking more about it, Charlie was very tempted to converse his feelings with everyone else. However, he was still unsure on whether that would be the best idea. They were there to try and get a plan to defeat Dolohov, not to be told that he thought she was still alive. Charlie was stuck in a bit of a dilemma and as he stepped out of the shower he decided to would see how the atmosphere was before saying anything. Charlie got dressed into clean chinos and a loose, checked shirt and headed back downstairs with a slightly forced and pained smile on his face.

"Hi, Ron no one here yet?" Charlie asked finding his brother munching on a lamb kebab.

"Dad went to meet them in the village because of some new wards he's set up they wouldn't have been able to apparate straight here," Ron replied through a mouthful.

"Ah, right, that's weird he set up some more wards, what is that about?" Charlie asked as he also helped himself to a kebab.

"I guess it'll be because of what happened to Hermione and him being worried that it might happen to one of us?" Ron suggested shrugging his shoulders as he took a mouthful of lamb.

"You know those are for later?" Ginny said from behind the two brothers.

"Yeah, well when mum leaves food lying around two guys with hungry stomachs aren't exactly not going to eat are they?" Charlie smiled at his sister.

"True," Ginny said taking a handful of blueberries and popping them into her mouth. Not a minute later did the front door open and Mr. Weasley walked in followed by a large crowd of people including Kingsley, McGonagall, Neville, the Lovegoods and Mundungus Fletcher to name a few. There was a bustling in The Burrow and happy conversations, which fortunately to Charlie's delight didn't just evolve around Hermione.

As Charlie had thought, it really didn't take long for the conversation to change to the curse. He wasn't surprised in the least by everyone's shocked reactions of what had happened as Mr. Weasley and Kingsley told the story. There was quite a bit of disorder once they had finished before Kinglsey's booming voice ensured there was more order and then the conversation began of what they planned to do and how they were going to do it.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Harry, can I ask you something?" Ginny whispered into her fiancé's neck.

"Of course you can," Harry replied.

"Promise you won't judge me?" Ginny asked.

"Why would I?" Harry looked down and was somewhat surprised by the look on Ginny's face. However, before Ginny could say anything, Fred, George and Ron all burst into the room and sat down on the chairs around Harry and Ginny.

"Alright lovebirds?" George asked with a malicious glint in his eye.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked ignoring her brother's comment.

"Same as you. To get away from the depressing conversation that's happening next door. I thought this gathering was to celebrate Hermione's life but it's just getting more and more miserable," Ron said.

"They started talking about who was going to sacrifice themselves etc and it just got too much for us," Fred said in response to Harry and Ginny's inquisitive looks.

"Ugh, no one needs to sacrifice themselves. Surely with a well thought out plan everything will be fine. I refuse to let anyone else die," Harry groaned. The four Weasley's nodded in agreement and they all sat there in silence.

"What were you going to ask me Ginny?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence. Ginny looked around and examined her brothers' faced.

"OK, fine. But please no one judge me," she said and sat up properly.

"Why would we judge you? Ron asked but Ginny just glared at him.

"I…I don't think she's dead," Ginny said quietly into her lap. There was an audible gasp from her brothers and Harry.

"Gin, she is. Healer Tonnshin told us she was," George said simply once he had recovered from his sister's somewhat unnerving comment.

"I know that, but I don't believe it," Ginny said sternly. "It doesn't feel right. I don't feel like she's died. Like I know it's different but when Remus and Tonks, even Dumbledore for Merlin's sake, when they died it felt like it had happened. But with Hermione, it feels different. It feels like she hasn't actually died." Harry, Ron and the twins just stared at Ginny, as if she had just climbed out of moldy cheese. "You can stare at me as much as you want but it's not going to change what I believe. She's alive, and I know it. We need to save her, are you going to help me or am I doing to have to do it all by myself?"

"Ginny, listen to yourself. How can we believe she's alive just because you have a 'feeling'? Healer Tonnishin said she had died, surely that's enough for you?" Ron said.

"Yes, he said that. But doesn't it seem odd that we never saw her? I read somewhere that it's muggle tradition if someone dies that family go and see the body so surely they would have shown us?"

"You answered you own question there, Gin. Family go and see them, as much as she may as well be apart of this family, unfortunately she's not so they had no right in showing us," Harry said grimly.

"OK, we're not family by blood but we practically are. Even if not all of us went to see us, surely they would have taken Charlie to see her given at how aware Healer Tonnishin was of their relationship," Ginny replied.

"There's a problem with that in that Charlie disappeared straight away, there was no way in cornering him to prove what happened," Ron said. "And since he's been back he hasn't been like 'Oh yeah they showed me and it wasn't actually her'"

"Exactly, Ron. They haven't shown him. They haven't shown anyone. So surely she must still be alive."

"Ginny, I hate to be the one to tell you but seriously give it a rest. You're going through the denial stage of grief. It won't be long until you'll realise it's all just in your head," George said solemnly.

"It's not in my head. It's true. You're just all refusing to accept it," Ginny almost shouted.

"No, Ginny. We've just accepted the fact that Hermione is gone and as much as it kills each of us, there really is nothing we can do," Ron said.

"You're all just trying to think of excuses. It just doesn't seem right that she's not alive. This is Hermione we're talking about. What if she is alive and we're not helping her because you're all refusing to accept that maybe, just maybe, she might still be alive?" Ginny said her fiery temper rising.

"We know it's Hermione but that doesn't change anything. She died, she died a week ago and nothing, as much as it breaks my heart, nothing will bring her back to us," Harry said glumly as they same time that Fred whispered something quietly no one heard him. Ginny did see his lips move and her stare made him repeat what he had said.

"I believe you Ginny," he said simply. Harry, Ron and George rounded on him and he elaborated. "I've felt the same since last week. It all seems very suspsicious and I genuinely don't think she has died. I am convinced she's still alive but no one else will believe us, plus they're all caught up in the curse they won't focus on anything else. I…I think it's up to us, Charlie and probably Bill, and Percy if we can get him to get his head out of his arse, to help her." Ginny beamed at her brother. She knew he had been thinking the same. Ever since they had been back Fred had been the one completely distant from everyone else, but not in a grieving way.

"Well it looks like there are two on board, any of you care to admit you've felt the same and join us?" Ginny asked her mood lightening significantly.

"You two are utterly barmy," George said, " but if there's a possibility she's alive and we can help her bloody hell am I joining." Harry and Ron shared a concerned look.

"You are talking nonsense, all of you. But I can't help but think there's a chance you may be right. And if you are right then you're going to need some more people to help, so yes we'll help," Harry said looking at Ron, who nodded in agreement.

"This doesn't take away from anything that you're all talking rubbish so please just don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen, we've dealt with enough misery as it is," Ron added. Ginny flung herself at her brother and gave him a hug.

"I knew you would all come round at some point," Ginny said happily. "Now, the question is what's the plan?"

"What's the plan for what?" a voice came the door behind them all. Those sitting on the sofas turned around to see Bill, Charlie and Fleur walk into the living and collapse onto the hearthrug.

"They're driving us mad," Bill groaned.

"They're all just arguing and talking over each other, they have no idea what to do, none at all," Charlie slumped. "I was really hoping this would give me some closure but apparently not. I reckon I'll be about 50 by the time they even stop arguing and make a plan." Ginny looking anxiously at Harry who raised his eyebrows in concern, just as Fred and George exchanged worried glances.

"Right, so are you going to tell us what it is you're planning?" Bill asked a slight hint of apprehension hidden in his voice.

"Um…well about that…um…Ginny had a feeling," Ron stuttered despite it only being his two eldest brothers he was telling.

"Fred did too," Ginny interrupted sternly. "And you three agreed."

"We didn't say we agreed, Gin. We just said we would help," Harry said softly.

"It's kinda irrelevant who felt what, but please do inform us what you're planning preferably this side of Christmas," Charlie said groaning a little at the silly disagreement that was going on.

"OK…well…um…please don't judge me but…well…I think…Hermione's still alive," Ginny stammered flushing a deep scarlet. Bill's face went white and he looked over at Charlie. Fleur let out a squeal and a few tears appeared in her eyes. Charlie put his head in his hands and began shaking his head. Everyone else in the room was unsure quite what to do. They had thought Charlie would have been most on board but it appeared that maybe not. However, they were all tremendously surprised by what he said next.

"Oh thank Merlin," he exclaimed lifting his head from his hands with a large smile on his face.

"Um…what is it Charlie?" Fred asked tentatively.

"Well, not gonna lie but I've had that feeling from pretty much the time I woke up the day after…well you can guess when," Charlie said his voice fading towards the end of his comment. Ginny smiled widely, hugely relieved to know that someone else had the same feeling as her. If it were anyone she was glad it was Charlie given his 'relationship' with Hermione, he knew her in a way that no one else did and if he believed there was a chance he was alive then surely that was a very good thing.

"So I'm assuming the plan you were talking about was how we're going to get Hermione," Bill said to the quiet room, managing to find his voice. Everyone nodded and they sat there in silence, dwelling over their own thoughts.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed the chapter and where the story is going! Just a forewarning, it's probably going to be a while until I next update as I will be busy working at a school for the next few weeks! As always reviews = love!)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A new chapter and I am so so so sorry it's been such a long time since I last updated - I've been crazy busy and have also been suffering from a bit of writer's block so apologies if this chapter seems like a bit of a mess! As always a review would be greatly appreciated!**

 **HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 16**

"So we've achieved absolutely nothing this past hour," Ron groaned and slumped back against the wardrobe.

"Not true," Fred said despite also collapsing against the back of his chair.

"OK, so we know she 'disappeared' within a half an hour window last Thursday," Ron said.

"Also, that there were very few people who knew exactly where her room was," Ginny piped in.

"Us, the rest of the family, Healer Tonnishin, the other healers Charlie spoke to, Kingsley and a few other junior healers," Ron said counting on his fingers.

"Basically there are really not many people who could have been involved," Bill interjected.

"Hm…I'm not sure whether that's a good or a bad thing," Charlie said.

"I would say it's more of a good thing as there are less people we need to interrogate," Harry said thoughtfully. Everyone sat there, a pensive silence waving over Bill's old room. It was mid afternoon the next day and they had occupied it thinking they would be able to spread out and cover it with thoughts and plans without too much disturbance.

"But we're still lost at how to proceed," Fred sighed. Everyone nodded. They had been able to shorten the list of who may have been involved but other than that hadn't been able to achieve much else.

"Actually, I think I know what we need to do," Harry said slowly. Everyone looked over at him; mostly very excited at the thought that they may be able to do something soon. "Ginny, you said that traditionally in the muggle world, family are shown the body. So we need to 'see Hermione's body' just so we know what has happened and if she has actually died. Charlie would probably be able to persuade Healer Tonnishin to show him. And then we might have some more information."

"So you're saying that Charlie needs to be shown Hermione's body, or if there is something being used as her body. How will that confirm anything?" Ginny said confusion spreading across her face.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure – it's more just something to get done and seeing what the outcome is we can then work out what we need to do next," Harry said somewhat sheepishly.

"I agree with Harry. I'd much rather do something that may or may not be beneficial and work on from there than having no idea what to do next. We've all admitted it, we're stuck right now so it's not going to harm if Charlie goes and speaks to Healer Tonnishin," Fred said.

"So looks like I'll be off then," Charlie said. He stood up from the chair that gave a loud creak, before disapparating with a loud pop.

"He's not quite right, is he?" George questioned the silent room a few moments later.

"I don't blame him to be honest. He really likes Hermione, almost nearing towards some very strong feelings, and then she 'dies'. It's incredibly hard on all of us but almost harder for him," Ginny said quietly. Everyone looked over at her in slight surprise. "What? It's fairly obvious that they have feelings for each other. Did none of you pick up on it?" They all just sat there in silence. "Oh come on, he was the one at St Mungo's 24 hours a day and there when she first woke up. He's always the first there when she had an accident. They've been talking well into the night together. They're almost inseparable. He died a little inside when he had to go to Romania for a few days. And he just disappeared for a while when we first found out about her. And he no longer functioned as a wizard while he was away. Surely that must have something to do with it all?" There was more silence in the room when Ginny finished pointing out the obvious. Harry and Ron exchanged looks of shock before beginning to laugh. How had they missed it? Now that Ginny had pointed it all out it was so obvious that their best friend was falling for a Weasley, and not a certain Ron Weasley. Ron had no problem with it, in fact he was glad that Hermione may end up with one of his brothers, and Charlie of all of them was perfect. At least it wasn't Percy. Ron gave out another snort at the thought of Hermione being with Percy.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

She let out a gasp as once again immense pain spread through her body right to her fingertips. The pain was so intense she was unable to open her eyes. She had no idea where she was or how she'd got there. All she wished for was the pain to end. She had lost count how many times this pain had flooded through her during the past, how ever long it was. Her heart began to race trying to cope with the pain and her breathing rate increased. Her breathing became short and shallow, and she was getting very little air into her lungs. Her muscles began to seize and tremor – her whole body shaking in agony. A few cold tears began to spill down her cheeks, evaporating from her skin in the heat of the room. Sweat began to drip down her forehead and down her back caking her in water. And then almost as instantly the pain arrived did it subside. She no longer felt the agonizing stabs all around her body but a dull ache in all of her muscles that she new would dissipate over the next hour or so. Her heart rate began to slow to a more resting rate and she was able to take deep rasping breaths of air. Her body went limp and she fell into an uneasy stupor. Looking through the window, the blonde haired man laughed.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie appeared in the London alleyway that St Mungo's was situated in. Blinking a few times to get used to the bright sunlight shining from above he pulled out his wand. He walked over to the Purge and Dowse Ltd store on the opposite side of the alley.

"I'm here to see Healer Tonnishin," Charlie told the dummy holding up his wand. The dummy nodded its head so Charlie stepped through the window. He felt a rush of air before emerging on the other side inside the hospital. It was no different to how he had left it after storming out a week previously – bustling with many witches and wizards, some with an array of apparent injuries and others visiting friends and family. He shuddered when he caught sight of one particular wizard whose left side of his face was covered in a very nasty burn; Charlie was convinced he saw bits of skull.

Charlie kept his face down, not wanting to attract attention to himself, as he walked briskly towards the staircase at the far end of the reception. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached the right level and headed down the very familiar corridors until he stood outside of a closed door bearing a sign to signify the office belonged to Healer Tonnishin. Charlie's heart began to race as he waited patiently, trying to control both it and his breathing. He was both incredibly nervous but also slightly excited. He was looking forward to getting some responses to his unanswered questions about Hermione but simultaneously was very concerned about what those questions may entail. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes he was surprised to hear voices from inside the room.

"But how? How does someone just slip out from right underneath us? Especially someone who was on the verge of death," an old worried sounding voice floated through the door. Charlie started at the questions, where they talking about Hermione or had another patient gone missing? His heart began to beat even harder, thumping loudly against his ribs.

"No one has any idea. There is a 20 minute window and that's all we know. Whether it's the same person who attacked her that morning or someone else we don't know either," a voice recognisable as Healer Tonnishin said.

"Is there anything you do know?" a voice that sounded distinctively like Kingsley's asked sternly. There was no answer and Charlie could imagine the other members of the room shaking their heads.

"But we don't think she's dead? So why on earth did you tell the Weasley family she had died?" Kingsley questioned.

"I…I don't know. I have no idea what came over me or anything – it's almost as if I just went blank for a few hours," Healer Tonnishin replied quietly. That was all Charlie could take. He knocked hard on the door and pushed it open before receiving a reply. Three heads turned to face Charlie as he burst into the office. Healer Tonnishin sat behind his desk, Kingsley occupied the chair on the right and an elderly man Charlie recognised as Healer Smythe sat on the left.

"Charlie – do have a seat," Healer Tonnishin said summoning a leather armchair and placing it in between Kingsley and the elderly Healer. Somewhat nervous, Charlie sat down tentatively not making eye contact with anyone in the room. There was silence as the three men surveyed Charlie waiting for him to talk. But Charlie was suddenly lost for words and didn't know what to say.

"What can we do for you today, Charlie?" Healer Tonnishin finally asked smiling across his desk at Charlie. Charlie gulped.

"I…I need some clarification," Charlie said hesitantly still not making eye contact, despite there being no reason not to.

"Don't we all," Kingsley said with a slightly strained chuckle. Charlie looked around at the minister in confusion. "Ask away Charlie and I'm sure these two lovely gentlemen will answer what they can."

"I need to know. Is Hermione actually dead?" Charlie asked, his voice getting stronger and finally making eye contact with the Healer who had been in charge of Hermione's case, who sat looking seriously at the three men opposite him.

"We have no reason to believe she is," Healer Tonnishin said, carefully phrasing the sentence so as not to give a definitive answer. Charlie felt a flutter of excitement deep down. There was a possibility she was most definitely alive.

"What are you reasons in believing she isn't then?"

"Well, there are a number and it all links to the suspicious nature that is of her, shall we say, disappearance. Let's start from the beginning. I checked her at 8:30 am last Thursday – she was up and eating, apparently fine. 9:00 she was 'beaten up'. You came in to visit her at about 9:20 am, I had just finished casting diagnostic spells but without success at about 9:15. Your burst into my office at 9:26 and I told you we had no idea what had happened, we didn't believe it was a person but it was a possibility. You left 10 minutes later and she had been 'cleaned up'. You stayed with her all morning – she never woke up. I reckon you went for some lunch at about 12:20, where the rest of you family met you. They came to see me first to ask where you were and I had seen you leave for the tearoom so they went straight there; they didn't go near Hermione's room. They went to see her at about 12:40 by which time she was no longer there and the sign on her room was missing. They told you at 12:50 and you disapparated away. Bill, I think that's his name, immediately came and saw me and I told him that yes she had died and moved to the morgue. The Weasley family left the hospital by 1:10 pm." A pained expression crossed Healer Tonnishin's face making it apparent that recounting the events disturbed him greatly.

"So Miss Granger 'disappeared' between 12:20 and 12:40," Healer Smythe finished the younger Healer's sentence in his old, slightly husky voice. The four men sat in the small office in silence for a few moments, before it was broken by Charlie;

"I'm assuming no unauthorised person was seen at that time on the floor, or even in the morning." Both Healer Tonnishin and Healer Smythe shook their heads.

"My office is right at the entrance to the floor and I see everyone who enters and exits the corridor so I would have noticed if someone had walked past," Healer Smythe said with a slight sadness.

"And we have a facial recognition just off the stairs and the lift and we get notified of anyone that hasn't been granted access, ie Healers, patients and authorised visitors, immediately. Our alarm didn't go off so obviously no one suspicious arrived," Healer Tonnishin said before adding gravely. "It worked in the night before and later that eveningso it's not as if it wasn't functioning throughout the day."

"And there are only two entrances to the floor, via the stairs and the lift, and it's impossible to apparate and disapparate other than in the reception area of the hospital. And the only fireplace connected to the Floo network is in the reception," Healer Smythe said upon seeing Charlie's mouth open to ask more questions.

"We've checked everything Charlie, we are at a bit of a lost cause right now," Kingsley said morosely.

"Are you not concerned about the fact that people entered the floor before everything happened and potentially after everything happened?" Charlie asked, a slight hint of frustration in his voice.

"Of course we are concerned but we removed them form the hospital within five minutes of the alarm going off," Healer Tonnishin said.

"What if there was more than one person and you didn't manage to get them out?" Charlie asked, trying to find a fault with anything.

"There wasn't. The way the alarm works is that say 2 people entered the corridor but we only got one the alarm wouldn't stop. Upon taking the person either into the lift or down the stairs their faces are matched to the image from when they entered and the alarm stops. If only one of the images is 'turned off' they alarm would stay on alerting us to the fact that there are more unauthorised people on the floor," Healer Smythe explained and Charlie nodded as he understood.

"What about if we locate the people who tried to enter the floor and questioned them? We might get some answers," Charlie suggested. Kingsley chuckled slightly making Charlie get angrier.

"You are being very thorough here Charlie, I'm impressed. But we're a step ahead of you and we've already questioned them both, they are questioned immediately upon their removal, under Veritaserum. The first confessed to wanting to give one patient a bow of Chocolate Frogs and the other had simply got the wrong floor when visiting his mother," Kingsley said. Charlie groaned silently, inwardly annoyed at the lack of answers anyone was receiving. The room was filled with silence as the four men sat there pondering over what they had learnt, which was pretty much nothing.

"I have one theory," Charlie muttered slowly a couple of minutes later. Three heads spun around to look at him. "It's a bit of a long shot, but what if someone Polyjuiced themselves into a Healer?"

"We did consider that Charlie, and it certainly is an option and we're not ruling it out but a) how would they have managed to get 'a bit of someone', b) how did they manage to get out, c) polyjuice takes a month to brew so it's not like they whipped it up overnight when they found out Hermione was here," Kinglsey said thoughtfully.

"OK, but what if they had an accomplice inside the hospital?"

"Hmm…that's an interesting idea actually. I can't believe we didn't think of that. The 'accomplice' would have easily managed to get ahold of some bit of a Healer. They would have been able to inform whoever it was when the coast was clear and potentially kept people away. That does answer a number of questions. But it still doesn't explain how they got out," Healer Tonnishin said. There was yet another silence that filled the room, this one, however, had a much more thoughtful aura.

"So our next plan of action would be to find out if there was an accomplice and who it was inside of the hospital. And ideally quickly so that we can find Hermione soon before Dolohov or whoever kills her," Charlie said, finally voicing his thoughts from a while earlier. The other three men agreed.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Minister, may I ask you a question?" Charlie asked as he and Kingsley walked down the deserted corridor a few minutes later.

"Of course, Charlie," Kingsley replied looking over at the redheaded Weasley. Charlie hesitated momentarily.

"Do…do you think that perhaps Healer Tonnishin was under the Imperius curse?" Charlie asked quietly, somewhat embarrassed by his idea.

"What makes you suggest that?" Kinglsey asked a bit harsher than he had intended.

"I mean I can't think of any other reason that he confirmed to my family that Hermione was dead when it's apparent now that he doesn't believe she is and the fact that he has no idea why he told them that. And also his comment about going blank for a few hours seems very similar to what people say once the curse has been lifted from them," Charlie said in a bit of a hurry, the very tips of his ears turning pink.

"It would be a valid point and it does continue to confuse me why he told the Weasleys. But no Healer came forward saying anything different, which I am still very perplexed about. How can every St Mungo's employee believe that Hermione had died despite there being very little proof and no one able to show us her body despite it being the law any corpses are kept for 48 hours? I am completely and utterly bewildered by this entire situation we have been thrown into," Kingsley said slightly mystified as they slowed down.

"So it's a possibility he was imperiused?"

"It's definitely a possibility. But I'm not entirely sure how likely it is. There are many other ways to make people do as you tell them."

"Is there any way of finding out?" Charlie enquired thoughtfully.

"There's no way to detect Unforgivable Curses other than their immediate presentation of symptoms that I can think of off the top of my head. But I am sure that with a bit of delving I'll find a way," Kingsley said. Charlie could tell that his brain was working in triple time in order to find out what happened to Hermione. Charlie pushed open the door leading to the stairwell and they began to descend back down to the ground floor.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, minister." Charlie's heart began to race a little, confused and somewhat worried about what the minister was about to say.

"Has that protective charm worked?" Kingsley asked. A surge of shock suddenly rushed over him. He had completely forgotten about it given everything that had happened in the past week or so.

"I guess it has. Truthfully, I had completely forgotten about it but there's been no reason to believe that it hasn't been working."

"I'm glad to hear it," Kingsley said with a slight smile. But Charlie suddenly stopped walking a wave of realisation hitting him. Kingsley, however, was unaware of Charlie's lack of movement for a few more steps until he turned around and looked up at Charlie, stood stationary about 7 steps above him.

"Is everything alright, Charlie?" the minister asked curiously.

"Is there a way of tracking someone and where they go?" Charlie asked very quietly that Kingsley had to strain his ears to hear what had just been said. There was a moment of silence in the stairwell as Kingsley thought over what the younger man had just asked.

"What do you mean?" Kingsley asked.

"When I went to the house in the moors, I received a letter, which I am assuming came from Dolohov that said _I thought I told you not to tell anyone_. Another one came a few days later saying that I was running out of time. And then I got another one when I got back to The Burrow saying _You're in a lot of trouble right now._ Do you think that Dolohov knew where I was?"

"It's an option. It is possible to 'track' people with certain spells, but spells that are illegal and very complex to cast."

"But how else did he get those letters to me? I was the only person to know about the house and then how on earth did he know I had gone back to The Burrow?" Charlie questioned.

"It seems very plausible that he cast a tracking spell on you and even one that informed him of your actions," Kingsley said. "If you would like, and I would probably recommend it, you can come back to my office and I shall try and see if he has placed those spells on you and try and reverse them." Charlie nodded and agreement, giving Dolohov as little information about him certainly seemed like a good idea. By this time Kingsley and Charlie had reached the reception. They walked over to the fireplace, ignoring all looks and questions, before Flooing back to the ministry.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"I really don't know what to think of this whole situation if I'm completely honest," Bill said once Charlie had filled everyone in on his past conversations with the two healers and the Minister for Magic.

"It is all very fishy, so I guess we're just assuming that Dolohov is behind Hermione's disappearance," Ron said.

"I think that is safe to assume. I can't think of anyone else that would be behind it all," Charlie replied.

"But, how in Merlin's beard are we going to find out who the 'accomplice' is inside of St Mungo's, and that is if there even is an accomplice," Ginny voiced a number of people's worry.

"There must have been an accomplice – there's no way this was achieved by just one man. No doubt Dolohov will have an army following him to do his dirty work, I mean he sent Draco and some other old man to Hogwarts to try and intercept Hermione there. The accomplice or even accomplices must have been inside St Mungoe's as a Healer. Whether it was an actual Healer, a Healer under the Imperius or a Healer disguised via Polyjuice we have no idea butit can only really be one of those options," Charlie said, taking charge of the room.

"Man, this just keeps on getting more and more complicated," Ron groaned as he once againslumped back against the wardrobe. "Can we please go and have something to eat? I feel that my stomach is about to disintegrate right now." There was a chuckle around the room and then a murmur of agreement, it didn't take any effort to persuade a Weasley, or even Harry, to have something to eat. They bundled out of Bill's room and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Merlin, you lot. It sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs on people," Mr. Weasley said as they all entered the kitchen. They just smiled.

"Smells delicious mum," George said as his stomach gave out a loud rumble. Everyone took their seats around the kitchen table, one chair still empty in Hermione's absence and no one wanting to move it, as Mrs. Weasley set down a large dish of her famous lamb casserole.

Dinner was a fairly jolly affair, most definitely the loudest and excitable meal in the past weeks. Everyone felt as if they were making improvements of the situation they had been thrown into, however small they may be they all believed they had managed to chisel a little away at the large wall in the road between them and Hermione.

 **(A/N: again apologies it's been so long but please please please do leave a review!)**


	17. Chapter 17

**So here's the new chapter! I am so unbelievably sorry it's been so long, I've had complete writer's block and kinda lost interest so took a little while away from it but here it is. I hope you enjoy it and please do leave a review at the end!**

 **HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 17**

The lights burst on as the door banged open and she squeezed her eyes shut not used the bright glare from the ceiling. She heard footsteps cross the room to the corner where she lay huddled tightly in a ball, bloodied and bruised. Her heart began to race as nerves were sent around her body signaling it of what was to come. Two rough, calloused hands grabbed her bare shoulders and unraveled her so she was lying flat on her back. Her eyes were forced open and she was terrified at the sight of the malicious look she was receiving from the man stood above her. Her whole body shook in fright, feeling very exposed lying naked at his feet.

The man knelt down as he simultaneously raised his hand. He brought his arm down in a fast movement slapping her hard across the face. Her cheeks stung with the impact and a solitary tear ran down her face. She whimpered as he raised his hand again, this time slapping the other side of her face. He then began to pummel her and punch her in the face and the stomach not leaving an inch of skin free from a beating. He drew his wand and with slashing movements new cuts formed across her body, fresh warm blood trickling down her body. Tears were now flowing thick and fast down her cheeks as she let out shrieks of pain but nothing prepared her for what he did next. She screamed out in agony as the most excruciating pain burst through her core until her body could no longer cope and she lost consciousness.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

There was a loud rapping on the window. Charlie opened his eyes sleepily and looked over at his bedroom window. Through the flimsy curtains and silhouetted by the full moon Charlie could see a distinctive shape of an owl fluttering outside. With a tired sigh he threw his legs over the edge of his bed before taking the few short steps across his room to the window. He pulled back the curtains and unlatched the window. The owl few in, dropped a few pieces of parchment on the floor before flying back outside and into the night. Confused, Charlie bent down and picked up the parchment. He reached for his wand on his bedside table and with a flick turned on the lights. He sat down on the edge of his bed, perplexed as to why someone would contact him at such a late hour, and unfolded the top piece of parchment. He let out a load, anguished groan, his eyes brimming with tears as he read the seven words.

 _Both of your times are running out._

The parchment disappeared with a puff of black smoke, just how the previous three had, once his eyes had scanned the sentence before him. Lying on his lap were two more pieces of parchment, this time in the appearance of photos. The top one was like a muggle one – non moving. It was a picture of a badly beaten up naked girl lying on a hard stone floor. Her eyes were closed and her bushy dark hair was splayed out around her face. Both of her eyelids were swollen, her nose crooked and bottom lip double in size. Her face and body were covered in a very large number of cuts and gashes. Her left elbow was sticking out at an unnatural angle and her right knee was incredibly swollen. Her collarbones were black with bruises and had a tinge of yellow and her left hip looked dislocated. The tears in Charlie's eyes spilled rapidly on to the photo as he recognised the body to be that of Hermione's. Taking a shuddering breath, his tears falling no slower, he pulled out the second photo with trembling hands.

The second photo had been developed in a potion, as the characters were moving. In the centre of the image was a large wooden box that Charlie instantly recognised to be a coffin having seen one not too dissimilar for Dumbledore the year previously. Surrounding the coffin was large family of redheads and a black haired man all crying at the sight of the coffin. Charlie noticed the faint person in the top left corner, someone who looked distinctively like Antonin Dolohov, laughing maliciously. Charlie then knew instantly who was in the coffin and he let out a loud shout of despair no longer caring what time of day it was.

It took a mere 30 seconds before Charlie's door burst open and Bill, Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny appeared in the doorway staring in shock at the redhead clearly in a great amount of distress.

"Charlie. What is it?" Bill asked, his voice sharp and alert. Charlie just shook his head without looking up. The eldest Weasley walked over to the bed and sat down next to his closest brother. He looked over Charlie's shoulders and needed less than five seconds to understand just what was disturbing Charlie so much. He put a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders. The other Weasleys and Harry stood in the doorway watching the scene unfold. They all had a bad, gut feeling about what had happened but all refused to believe it.

Ginny was the first to act as she walked over to the bed and looked down at the photos. Tears immediately filled her eyes and everyone else still stood at the door had their feelings confirmed. They all joined the trio sat on the bed and each looked at the photos.

"Was this all that came, Charlie?" Ginny asked tentatively. Charlie shook his head.

"There was a note as well, _both of your times are running out._ I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but it can't be good," Charlie said quietly, tears still falling onto the parchment. There was silence in the room as everyone processed the information that had just been thrown on them. They were lacking time. They needed to act. And act now.

"We need to pull our socks up. We need to get to him before these photos become reality," Fred said, his eyes watery. There was a quiet murmur of agreement.

"Kingsley is trying to find out if any of the healers were under the Imperius Curse," Charlie told them taking a deep breath and trying to control his emotions.

"How long is that going to take?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not sure. There's not explicit way to find out so he's having to do some research beforehand."

"So it could take ages," Ginny groaned slightly.

"It could do but this is Kingsley we're talking about, he's thorough but quick. I can't think it will take much longer than a few days," Bill added.

"But that's what Kingsley is doing. Surely there's something we can do?" Ron asked breaking the silence a few minutes later. Another silence filled the room as everyone racked their brains as to what to do next.

"This might not be possible. But is there any way we can track where the photos have come from? It's too late to track the owl as that's gone but maybe there's some spell or something that can tell you where objects have come from," Harry suggested.

"That's an interesting idea, Harry. At this tiresome hour I can't think of anything off the top of my head but with a bit more sleep I am sure I could think of something. I vaguely remember something getting lost a while back whilst I was working for Gringotts and somehow we were able to track where it was," Bill said thoughtfully. It was obvious the clogs in his brain were beginning to work.

'OK, how about we all go back to bed and re-gather after breakfast?" Fred suggested, trying and failing to hide a yawn.

"But the longer we wait the less likely we'll find her alive," Ginny said timidly.

"I know, Gin. But we're all exhausted and truth be told none of our brains will be working properly and it's unlikely we'll achieve anything at this time. It would be much better if we got a few hours sleep and spend all of tomorrow on this," Fred said with a hint of sternness. No one dared argued with him. Truthfully they were all rather glad he had suggested it. Everyone filed out of Charlie's room promising to be up for breakfast at eight o'clock in six hours.

Once everyone had left, Charlie looked back down at photographs before ripping them up and throwing the small pieces of paper across his room. He watched them slowly flutter down over by his wardrobe. He wiped his eyes with the bottom of his t-shirt before lying back down on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. Why had he been put into this situation? What had he ever done to deserve it? What had Hermione ever done to deserve it? Thinking of Hermione made his heart twinge, he missed her so badly. He missed her company and their nightly conversations about anything and everything. He missed the sparkle in her eyes whilst they talked about dragons and other creatures. Or the look of interest and admiration of healing. He missed the sense of calming and strength whilst being around her, the laughter that flowed easily, the playfulness and sense of humour she had that he hadn't initially realised. He missed her more than he ever missed his family when he was in Romania.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie slept very little for the rest of the night. He was woken from a very light sleep by the sun streaming in through the open window onto his face. Letting out a loud groan he sat up and flung his feet over the side of his bed. He pulled a grey t-shirt over his bare chest and stomped out of his bedroom and down the stairs towards the kitchen. He was surprised to see Ginny already sitting at the table munching her way through a bowl of muesli.

"Morning, Gin," Charlie said as he sat down opposite her and summoned some bread and pumpkin juice.

"Morning, Charlie," she replied smiling up at him. There were bags under her eyes and judging by the look she gave him he obviously had them too. "Guessing you didn't go back to sleep?"

"No, not really. You?" Charlie asked. Ginny shook her head and took another mouthful. They could hear the distant movement of feet upstairs and knew they were about to be joined by more family members.

"A galleon it's Bill," Ginny said as she caught sight of Charlie looking up at the ceiling. Charlie chuckled.

"Alright, you're on," Charlie smirked as he reached his hand across the table and they shook on it. Bill was rarely up early, true he didn't sleep in as much as Ron or Fred but he wasn't an early riser like Charlie and Ginny. To both of their surprises a tousle-haired Fred emerged in the kitchen stifling a yawn.

"Buck up then," Charlie hissed across the table to Ginny, who rolled her eyes as for some reason she fished out a galleon from her pyjama pocket.

"You're up early Fred," Ginny pointed out.

"Doesn't help when someone's running up and down the stairs on a mad one," he groaned slumping down into the chair next to Charlie. Charlie and Ginny exchanged a confused look.

"No one's running up and down doing a mad one," Charlie said, the confusion evident in his voice.

"Yeah, just now. Dunno who but woke me up at this ungodly hour," Fred said pulling a bowl and the cereal towards him. Charlie and Ginny exchanged another look.

"Did George not wake up?" Ginny questioned. Fred shook his head as he shoved a giant spoonful of food into his overly large mouth.

"And there was no one on the stairs?" Charlie asked. Again Fred shook his head, still unable to form words with his mouth so full. Charlie stood up suddenly and pulled his wand out from his back pocket.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, worry flooding through her voice.

"I'm going to go and check Fred is just going mad," Charlie said with a serious look on his face and walked out of the room. He slowly began to walk through the living room towards the bottom of the stairs.

"What in Merlin's beard are you doing Charlie?" a loud voice came from above him. He straightened up rapidly trying to hide his suspicious looking movements.

"Nothing, Ginny saw a spider and she thought it would be funny to find it and put it on Ron's face," he lied although he could tell is father knew he was not telling the truth.

"Hmmm, doesn't sound like something you would do," his father said raising his eyebrows.

"Well…um…George is still asleep and…um…Fred hasn't properly woken up yet," Charlie stuttered, making it even more obvious he wasn't being very truthful with his father.

"Well, whatever you do please don't make Ron scream like a girl – I had enough of that as he was growing up," Mr. Weasley said rolling his eyes and walking past his second eldest son towards the kitchen. Charlie pulled his wand back out of his pocket and began to creep slowly up the stairs, remembering to avoid the ones that creeked. He reached Ginny's room first and pushed open the door.

"Revelio," he muttered quietly but nothing appeared. He scanned the room and convinced himself everything was normal. The twins' bedroom was next. He peered inside and saw George flat on his back snoring loudly. Everything seemed normal – it was a bombsite but that wasn't unusual. Percy's room was next and that was untouched, as it had been for months. He had become friendlier with the family but he never stayed longer that he needed to. His parents' room also appeared normal, as did the bathroom and each of the hideouts. He reached his room and scanned it. The only thing that looked out of place was his poster of a Chinese Fireball now on his bed but that happened daily and wasn't unusual. He was just about to leave when he cast his eyes over to the corner by his wardrobe; there were no longer any pieces of parchment.

"Accio photos," he said quietly but nothing appeared. Bewildered Charlie took the two steps to his wardrobe and crouched down on his knees. He peered under his wardrobe but could not see any ripped up pieces of parchment. If Fred had been right and there had been someone here they had taken a few pieces of ripped up parchment and what appeared to be nothing else. Charlie, however, couldn't believe that was all that would be missing so he thoroughly searched his room; but with no success. Shrugging his shoulders he left his room and ran into Ron.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron asked.

"Did you hear some one being very loud on the stairs about 10 minutes ago or so?" Charlie asked, ignoring Ron's question.

"No, it was silent. Me and Harry have been up for a while and we didn't hear anyone. Why?"

"Fred just came into the kitchen saying someone was on a mad one and woke him up," Charlie said trying to move past his youngest brother.

"He's Fred. He's just going mad – probably a dream or something," Ron said wearily.

"The photos have gone from my room so someone was definitely here," Charlie said simply.

"What?! Why would someone want those photographs – they're awful and of very little meaning to anyone other than us," Ron said bewildered.

"I dunno, I was just checking nothing else was out of place," Charlie said and walked on upwards, leaving Ron in a state of confusion on the stairs. Charlie walked up the last few steps to Ron's room. He heard draws opening and closing. Without thinking he flung open the door and sent ropes out of his wand to wrap around the person kneeling at Ron's chest of drawers. He fell to the ground and started squirming on the floor trying to untangle himself.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" he finally asked, ceasing to move as the ropes tightened around him.

"Merlin! Harry I am so sorry, I heard a sound in here and thought it was an intruder. Here, I'll untangle you," Charlie said apologetically, blushing a deep crimson as he realised just who he had tied up. Harry cast a grumpy look at Charlie as the ropes disappeared.

"Well, that's a lovely way to be greeted in the morning," he said huffily standing up and pulling a t-shirt from the bottom draw.

"I am so sorry Harry, I wasn't thinking and forgot you would be in Ron's room."

"Hmm…why did you think I was an intruder?" Harry asked as he pulled off his pyjama top and put on the clean one. Charlie repeated what he had told Ron and was unsurprised to see the exact same look of shock on Harry's face.

"But why would someone want those photos?" Harry asked as they left Ron's room and started to head downstairs.

"I have no idea, they're completely meaningless to everyone else so it has completely baffled me," Charlie said with a shrug of his shoulders.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

It was nearing lunchtime when there was a breakthrough in the investigation to find Hermione. The Weasleys and Harry had shut themselves away for the past 4 hours in an attempt to make progress. Bill had set out in trying to find a way to track parchment. The only problem was: the photos were missing. In racking his brain, visiting Gringotts and reading books Bill had come across the complicated potion that could be used.

"I've found it!" Bill shouted at quarter to one that afternoon. Everyone looked around at Bill in surprise – no one was expecting him to have been this quick.

"Here – it's called persequarium," he said pointing at a paragraph at the bottom of the page he was reading.

" _The ability to track certain objects, humans and animals has been widely used throughout history in order to aid witches and wizards in detection and law. However, there is only one, very complicated, way in which this is possible. The potion persequarium can be used to track where objects have been or where they are going. The potion, itself, can take up to 10 days to brew but may well be considerably longer for any novice. The addition of unicorn hair is the most crucial part of the potion and must be undertaken at exactly the correct time and with care_ ," Charlie finished with a sigh as he read over Bill's shoulder.

"10 days, but we don't have 10 days," Ron said as he too groaned slightly.

"Ron, do you ever listen? It says it _can_ take _up_ to 10 days to complete," Ginny said rolling her eyes at her brother.

"Yes but it also said with be much longer for novices and last time I checked no one in here has made it before," Ron said. There was silence after his statement. He was right. No one in the room had made persequarium before and it was unlikely they would be able to do it quickly.

"Shame, Hermione's not here. She would have brewed it in a day given she was able to do the Polyjuice Potion in our 2nd year," Harry said with a slight smile.

"She what?" Bill and Charlie exclaimed simultaneously, neither of them aware of the trio's adventure, but rather failure for Hermione, in questioning Malfoy.

"Yeah, she brewed it all from start to finish," Harry said, forever in admiration of his friend and what she was able to do.

"Wow, I had no idea – that's brilliant, no wonder she's been dubbed the greatest-witch-of-her-age," Charlie said in amazement.

"Well, we think –" Fred started.

'That you're forgetting –"

"Forge and I –"

"Are very excellent –"

"At brewing potions –"

"We brew them –"

"Every day, and we even –"

"Make up our own –"

"So we think that –"

"We'll brew it –"

"Within 24 hours –" Fred finished. Everyone let out a laugh.

"OK then, do you need any help?" Bill asked despite already knowing the answer.

"Absolutely not," the twins exclaimed together, clutching their hands to their hearts as if they had just been badly insulted.

"We'll see you in 24 hours," they said as Fred took the book from Bill's hands and they dispparated from the room with a loud pop.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie once again found himself knocking on the Minister's office door and waiting for the permission to enter. Once it came he turned the doorknob and entered the all too familiar office.

"You wanted to see me," Charlie said as he closed the door behind him.

"Ah yes Charlie, do have a seat." Kingsley gestured to the chair in front of his desk before flicking his wand at the door and Charlie heard lock click and knew Kingsley had also cast a silencing charm on the door.

"How are you today, Mr. Weasley?" Kingsley asked turning his attention to Charlie.

"I'm fine thank you but with all due respects, sir, I know there is something of greater importance you wished to speak to me about," Charlie replied politely. Kingsley laughed.

"You never cease to amaze me, Charlie. Of course there is something of more importance and I think you also know what it is. But before I tell you would be as ever so kind as to tell me what is troubling you?" Charlie was surprised at the question – he was not expecting it at all. However, the look Kingsley was giving him reminded him distinctively of Albus Dumbledore, who always knew when something was on your mind without you uttering a single word.

Without hesitating Charlie told Kingsley all about the letter and the photos he had received last night. He described the sound Fred had heard and his searching the house only to find the photos missing. He mentioned Harry's idea of tracing the photos and their recent success in finding the potion. He even filled him in on all of his thoughts since he had received the 'post'.

"I can't say I'm surprised what with everything that has happened. Dolohov is certainly wanting to send you a very distinctive message. I really do believe we need to pick up the pace of our investigation. However, with what I am about to tell you I think we will make a lot of progress, along with a successful brewing of the potion we may be soon to finding Hermione and defeating Dolohov," Kingsley said thoughtfully. Charlie sat there on tenterhooks ready to take in everything Kingsley was about to tell him.

 **(A/N: again I am so so sorry it's been forever, I'll try and be quicker in getting the new chapter out but I have no idea when (I haven't started writing it yet!) oh and sorry it's a bit short; I figured better short and posted now than longer and not posted for another few weeks! but as always reviews = love!)**


	18. Chapter 18

**I am so so sorry it's been forever since I last updated - I have been crazy busy and was lacking some major inspiration but here you go; a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it and please do leave some reviews! Oh and I'm sorry it's a little short!**

 **Chapter 18**

Charlie sat on his bed mulling over what Kingsley had told him earlier that day. It sounded like they were getting a lead on finding Hermione and he knew it wouldn't be much longer until they found her and defeated Dolohov. They were getting there and it made his heart flutter at the thought of seeing Hermione again. He missed her greatly, just everything about her and he hoped she was OK wherever the hell she was. He started thinking back to their late night conversations and one particular one that he remembered so clearly that made him smile.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie was just looking out of his window when something caught his attention. He smiled to himself as he recognised the bushy hair wander out through the garden and around the lake. He grabbed an old Gryffindor jumper, pocketed his wand and hurried out of his room. It had been three days since he had seen her outside of meal times – she, Harry and Ron had really been getting to work on their NEWTs and weren't leaving much time for socialising. Now was his opportunity to have a chat.

He shut the door quietly so as not to disturb anyone. It was his favourite time of the day, dusk. Just as the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the lawn and catching the water from the lake perfectly. He followed Hermione, knowing exactly where she was going. He had introduced her to his favourite place in the garden about a week ago and it soon turned into her favourite too.

"I thought I might have found you here," Charlie said leaning against an apple tree, or was it a pear one? He couldn't quite tell in this light. The girl sitting on the bench looked over at him and grinned broadly.

"Hey," she said simply, "What are you doing out here?"

"I came looking for you," Charlie said walking over and sitting down next to Hermione. "How come you're out here, I thought you'd be working?"

"No, we decided we'd done too much these past few days and agreed to take the evening off, much to Ron's delight." Even in the low light, Charlie could tell she was rolling her eyes.

"Never mind, Ron. How's it all going though?" he asked curiously. It had been a while since he had done his NEWTs and wasn't at all jealous of the trio doing them now.

"Not too badly I guess. We've done a lot of Charms and transfiguration. It's Potions that's proving to be a bit difficult as it's not the kind of ingredients your mum stocks," she told him looking up into his dark brown eyes.

"You should go and raid Fred and George's stocks, no doubt they'll have most things you'll need. Just don't tell them I told you that." Hermione laughed. The laugh that sent Charlie's heart racing. It was so gentle and light and carefree.

"Sounds like a good idea though." They sat there in silence. It was so peaceful out here. So quiet and away from all the busyness and chaos of inside. Hermione rested her head on Charlie's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He was so at peace with the world when he was around her. It was then that a thought struck him.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm."

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione sat up and looked at him curiously.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," she said with a small smirk.

"I was just wondering, have you been thinking about the Marriage Law?" he asked quietly.

"Not really, no," she replied honestly. "I've still got a little while, but at this rate I'll just be given someone." She let out a deep sigh.

"Can I suggest something?" She nodded, looking up at him confused about where he was going with this. Charlie mentally kicked himself, he'd dug himself into a bit of hole here and there wasn't much he could do to get out of it. Oh well, it was what he wanted and she didn't have much of a choice.

"I have absolutely loved spending all this time with you these past few weeks and knowing I would be able to have conversations well into the night with you was something that always excited me. I know you're crazy busy and all with your NEWTs studying and I'm not going to be around for much longer when they send me up permanently to Yorkshire but I was wondering…" Charlie had really dug himself into a hole. He groaned inwardly and kicked himself again. Hermione gave him a slightly inquisitive look and he sighed before continuing,

"Given that the Weasleys are as pure blood as pure blood can get and I think I'm beginning to fall in love with you, would you consider me as being your future husband?" he finished his sentence so quickly and Hermione just sat there he thought she hadn't even heard him.

"I think I'm falling in love with you too," she muttered quietly, "It would be my honour, Charlie Weasley." Charlie beamed at her and took her face in his hands. He leant down and met her lips with his, kissing her gently.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," he said smiling broadly.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

There was a knock on his bedroom door that brought Charlie out of his thoughts and back to life with a jerk. They hadn't told anyone about their engagement, they were planning on it but ever since Hermione had gone missing, there hadn't really been an opportunity to spill to his family what they had agreed that evening. She hadn't even let him buy her a ring yet until they had announced it, but it was one of the first things he did when he got back from the house in the moors, ready to give it to her when she was safe again. He turned around to see Ginny come in, carrying two mugs of steaming tea.

"I thought you may have wanted some tea," she said perching herself on the end of his bed and handing him one of the mugs. Charlie gratefully took a slurp.

"Thanks, Gin," he said and they sat there in silence for a while until Ginny spoke up,

"We are going to find her aren't we?" Charlie looked over at his sister. She was no longer the young, slightly rebellious girl he had written letters to but had grown up into a fierce adult. A few tears tricked down her cheeks and Charlie felt his eyes begin to water.

"Yes. Yes we are," he said determinedly. Ginny nodded, letting her tears fall down her cheeks. Charlie reached out and patted her arm. "We are going to find her. And she is going to be fine." They sat there in silence for some time, both sipping at their tea.

"What did Kingsley say when you saw him?" Ginny finally asked, breaking the subdued silence.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I hadn't seen you earlier. It's all getting quite close now. He found out that Tonnishin was under the Imperius Curse that lunchtime, which is why he told you all Hermione had died. But also, he discovered he had also been under the Imperius Curse that morning, roughly the time I arrived so we think he didn't tell me the whole story about her beating," Charlie said, somewhat excitedly.

"That's so good he found it out. But what are we going to do with that information though?" Ginny enquired. "I mean it's all good to know he was under the Imperius curse but I am a bit confused as to why that's relay relevant."

"I guess it kinda tells us that he could have been the 'accomplice' helping Dolohov and anyone else but we're not a hundred percent sure right now," Charlie told her.

"I knew there was something a bit off about him. Is there a way to find out who cast the spell?"

"Yes, Kingsley is finding out this afternoon and is going to come over this evening to tell us of anything he found."

"So it really does sound like we're making progress then," Ginny said, also sounding somewhat excited.

"Yes we are definitely getting there," Charlie replied with a smile, the most genuine one Ginny had seen on his face in quite a while.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

The lights were turned on and she closed her eyes tightly against the brightness. She was in so much pain she couldn't even bring herself to move. She was huddled in the corner of the cold room, finding some solace in the coolness of the tiled floor. Her whole body hurt, in places she never thought were able to hurt. She felt incredibly vulnerable and as she heard footsteps crossing the room she knew it was that time again. But she never felt the punches or the slaps. In fact a blanket was placed over the top of her and she was instructed to have some water. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a few days and as she raised her head ever so slightly to sip at the cool water she was able to take in her capturer's appearance for the first time since she'd been left in this room. The water made her feel quite a bit better and she was even happier when he fed her a cracker.

But his kindness didn't last long. When he reappeared later that day, probably only a few hours later, the beating began. She was pummeled and kicked and cut some more, she was even thrown against the wall at one point. Once he had finished 'his business' with her she was left in the corner of the room, huddled in agony with tears spilling down her cheeks. The last thought to enter her mind before she lost consciousness was how much she wished she were dead.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

It was a quiet supper that night, with Fred and George busy with their shop, Bill deciding to go back to Shell Cottage for the night and Percy still not making an appearance. But it was a joyous supper, with the conversation light and happy. Charlie had now told everyone about what Kingsley had told him, and they were all waiting eagerly for him to turn up and tell them something new. Charlie had received and owl from Fred and George a few hours ago telling him the potion would be ready by lunchtime the next day and that they should all make it to their flat for noon.

"When did you say Kingsley would be making an appearance?" Mrs. Weasley asked for the umpteenth time that day.

"He didn't specify, just once he'd found out some more information," Charlie replied once again, rolling his eyes ever so slightly.

"Don't you think about rolling your eyes at my mister," Mrs. Weasley growled, catching sight of what her second eldest son was doing.

"You have asked that question quite a few times though dear," Mr. Weasley said slightly tentatively from the other end of the table.

"Don't you have a go at me too," Mrs. Weasley said rather menacingly.

"I'm not having a go at you, dear, merely stating a fact." Thankfully, before Mrs. Weasley could open her mouth so say anything there was a loud pop from the living room and a few seconds later Kingsley walked into the kitchen.

"Good evening," he said in his deep voice as he shrugged off his travelling coat.

"Evening, minister. Please do take a seat. Can I get you any casserole?" Mrs. Weasley asked jumping up from her seat.

"That would be lovely, thank you Molly," he responded sitting down next to Ginny.

"I assume you're bringing us some more news then," Charlie said quietly.

"Indeed I am, Charlie. And good news at that," Kingsley replied before taking a mouthful of Mrs. Weasley's famous casserole. "Molly this is delicious." The Weasleys and Harry sat there waiting for Kingsley to tell them his news.

"Sorry, I hadn't eaten all day," Kingsley said seeing everyone eyeing him as he ate the casserole. He put down his cutlery and took a deep breath.

"So I'm sure Charlie has told you that I found out Healer Tonnishin was put under the Imperius Curse twice that day, both in the morning roughly when Charlie arrived at St Mungo's and again at lunchtime when the rest of the Weasleys arrived." Everyone nodded so Kingsley continued. "This afternoon I've been trying to find out who placed him under that spell and it took a little longer than I was expecting. I was also able to find out what he had been instructed to do by the caster. It turns out it was Draco Malfoy who cast the Imperius Curse. I don't know how he got into the wards to cast it and it is something I have been looking into, more for the security of the hospital than anything else. He cast it both times so I assume he never left the wards and chose his moments wisely.

"With a bit of digging I was able to find out what he had instructed Healer Tonnishin to do. So it turns out that Healer Tonnishin was the one who beat up Hermione, using both magic and his own hands but he obviously had no recollection of it but I am confused as to how he remembers talking to Charlie about it. Why he was told to hurt her, however, I have no idea. I can only assume that those instructions had come from Malfoy himself rather than from Dolohov. Healer Tonnishin was the one who removed Hermione from her room and he was still under the curse when he told you she had died. That is as much as I was able to find though," Kingsley finished with a sigh casting his eyes around the table.

"One question, if you don't mind minister, you mentioned that Healer Tonnishin was the one who removed Hermione form her room. You wouldn't happen to know where she was taken do you?" Ginny asked tentatively after a few moments of silence when it came apparent to her that no one was going to say anything.

"Unfortunately I do not. All I do know is that she was taken out of St Mungo's but that is as much as I was able to investigate. I shall have another look tomorrow but I can't say I'm optimistic," Kingsley replied.

"Well, all we can say is thank you, minister. You have done so much and I really hope it helps in the search for Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said clearing away the dishes. "May I persuade you to some dessert?"

"Sorry, Molly, but I really must be off. I have a lot of other work I need to catch up on unfortunately," Kingsley said standing up and pulling on his travelling cloak. "I shall keep you all updated with anything I find out. Goodbye and thank you for the food, Molly."

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

It was noon exactly and Bill, Charlie, Harry, Ron and Ginny had just arrived at Fred and George's flat above their incredibly successful shop and had helped themselves to some Butterbeer when the twins emerged from downstairs.

"Hello, you lot," George said.

"Glad to see you made yourself comfortable," Fred said with a laugh taking in the sight before helping himself and his twin to some Butterbeer.

"Business going well then?" Bill asked his younger brothers as they sat down in the spare beanbags.

"Indeed it is," the twins replied together.

"I would love to talk about your shop some more, but I do believe we have some slightly more pressing matters," Charlie said interrupting the potentially rather long conversation about Weasley Wizard Wheezes before it even started.

"Of course brother," George said with a smile.

"The potion really wasn't actually too complex and we were lucky to have all the ingredients already in our stockroom," Fred said as he stood up and went to fetch a cauldron from their small kitchenette.

"We're just a bit confused, how it's going to work if we don't have the photos to put in," George said curiously as he went to help his brother bring the cauldron over.

"Yes, well it turns out when Charlie overturned his room he came across the tiniest of scraps of one of the photos," Ginny said raising her eyebrows at her older brother.

"Yeah I did, whoever it was who took the scraps didn't do a very good job cos they left some behind," he replied pulling out a tiny piece of parchment from his pocket. "It's not the best piece to be working on but hopefully it'll do."

"Perfect, definitely better than nothing!" Fred exclaimed putting the cauldron on the floor in front of everyone.

"So how exactly does this potion work then?" Ron asked, voicing 4 people's opinions.

"Well, little brother, it works like this-" Fred started.

"You put the parchment in a specific vial-"

"And you put the vial in the potion-"

"And you heat up the potion so the vial melts-"

"And the parchment enters the potion-"

"Then the potion turns a colour-"

"Depending on where the parchment has come from-"

"And it will spit out the parchment-"

"And written on the parchment will be-"

"Exactly where it was sent from," George finished, giving a high-five to his twin brother.

"And you have this specific vial thing?" Charlie questioned curiously.

"We do, we made it this morning," they answered simultaneously.

"Perfect, then what are we waiting for then?" Harry said excitedly. The twins looked at each other and nodded. George pulled out a small vial from his cloak pocket.

"Parchment please," he asked sticking out his hand towards Charlie. Charlie passed him the piece of parchment and George carefully placed it in the vial. One final look at Fred, he carefully put it into the clear, orange potion. Fred pulled out his wand and lit a fire underneath the cauldron to start heating it up. Everyone gathered closely to the cauldron as the watched it bubble away, turning into a more translucent red potion. They watched in admiration as the vial slowly dissolved, turning the potion yellow and the parchment floated around the surface.

"Does the yellow mean anything?" Ron asked not looking away from the potion.

"No, they say the actual colour will appear in about a minute," George replied, also not tearing his eyes away from the potion. About a minute later the potion turned a bright, sapphire blue and the parchment shot out the potion and into Charlie's lap. He carefully unfolded it and looked at the 2 words written on the parchment and gulped. A few tears filled his eyes; they were going to find her. He passed the parchment around the circle.

"Well, I can't say New York was where I was expecting."

 **(A/N: thoughts? I hope you enjoyed it, do let me know what you think of it with lots and lots of reviews! We're getting towards the end :( but hopefully I'll be able to update soonish but in the mean time spread the story about with your friends and leave any reviews! Once again, I am really very sorry it's taken so long to update the story!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow, 2 updates in a week - aren't you lucky?! Sorry, but I wouldn't get used to it as I am so busy but have had the flu really bad this week hence why the update. I hope you all enjoy it, and don't think it's too long - sorry if it is! It's coming to the end and it's really sad :( don't forget to review at the end!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice**

 **Chapter 19**

The six Weasleys and Harry sat there in silence. They were making good progress, and now they knew where they would be able to find Hermione.

"The potion isn't very specific is it? I mean New York is quite a large place and we don't really have the time to be going exploring throughout the entire city," Ginny finally voiced.

"Ah, you've missed the catch-" George started, looking at his twin brother.

"Make sure you keep the parchment-"

"And when you go to the place-"

"It gives you directions-"

"So you know exactly where to go-"

"But only once you're there-"

"And, it only works-"

"If the person who received the parchment-"

"Is making contact with it." George finished. Charlie sighed. That meant he was going to have to look after this tiny bit of parchment with his entire life. He groaned slightly. Why couldn't things be a little more simple?

"So what's the plan now then?" Ron asked the quiet room.

"Well it looks like we're off to America," Bill said. "But we can't go quite yet."

"Why now?" Ginny asked confused as to why they would wait any longer to save Hermione.

"Well, firstly we have no idea what might be waiting for us when we get there so no doubt we're going to need more help that just the 7 of us. Secondly, we definitely need to tell Kingsley, plus he may have some more information that could help us. Thirdly, we can't just apparate to New York, we're going to need to get a portkey sorted out for us and all the wand registration sorted for when we do get there. Finally, can you imagine what mum would do if we all just suddenly disappeared without telling her where and why? I'm sure there are other things we need to do but for know that's a long enough list to get on with," Bill said. Despite not wanting to, the others all agreed with him. Of course he was right, he always was.

"Right so who's going to do what then?" Ron asked.

"I reckon Charlie should go and speak to Kingsley and get a portkey sorted, maybe even for tonight if possible." Charlie nodded in agreement. "Fred and George you go back to your shop, we don't know how long we're going to be away for so sell as much as you can between now and when we go. And that'll leave me, Harry, Ron and Ginny to go and tell mum and dad and anyone else," Bill finished. There was a murmur of agreement from everyone.

"Right, seems like we have a plan. Shall we say we'll meet back at The Burrow as soon as possible then?" Charlie asked standing up and stretching his legs. He hadn't realised quite how long he'd been sitting in such an uncomfortable position. There was a chorus of agreements from everyone else and satisfied with their responses he turned on his heel and disapparated with a pop.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie was becoming quite the frequent visitor to the minister's office and he was not at all surprised when Kingsley came to the door and smiled at him gesturing for him to come in and take a seat.

"Can I offer you a cup of tea or anything, Charlie?" Kingsley asked as he began busying himself with making drinks.

"I'm actually alright for now, thank you though," Charlie responded. Kingsley nodded before walking over with his own mug of tea and plate of biscuits. He sat down in the sofa opposite Charlie and looked at him intently. Charlie felt as though he was reading his mind.

"What can I do for you today Charlie?" Kingsley finally asked after a few minutes of silence between the two men.

"The potion worked. We know where Hermione is," he said, taking his eyes off the minister and looking down at his feet.

"That is truly excellent news, Charlie. Truly excellent," Kingsley said, delight evident in his voice. "And where would this place be?"

"New York," Charlie replied simply looking up at Kingsley, whose face fell slightly.

"Oh, well that's not entirely ideal," the minister said calmly. "But it certainly isn't impossible." Charlie sat there, eager as he waited for Kingsley to continue.

"Well, I reckon the first thing is to sort out a portkey, or maybe a few once we know how many people will be joining you." Kingsley stood up and walked over to his desk. "Now, I shouldn't actually be doing this and you should be getting one from the Department of Magical Transportation but as we're on a bit of a tight schedule just don't tell anyone it was me." Charlie smiled, he was very glad Kingsley didn't go and send him to Mr. Hillier, the head of the Department of Magical Transportation, and make him explain everything to him in an attempt to get a portkey, that may not have even been provided.

"Right, I reckon these shall do." Kingsley pulled out a small hairbrush, an old pencil, and a dented photo frame.

"I always keep a stack of random items so I can have a portkey when I need one," he said in response to Charlie's widening eyes at the objects he had just pulled out of his top drawer, particularly confused by the comb given Kingsley wasn't one to have much hair. Kinglsey walked over the placed them on the table in front of Charlie. He pulled his wand out of his robe and pointed it at the three objects and whispered,

"Portus." The three objects all glowed brightly and shook violently. Just as suddenly as the bright white light had appeared is vanished and the objects lay still as if nothing had happened. "All you need to do is tap them three times and say where you want to go and they'll take you there 2 minutes later and just repeat it for when you need to come back." Charlie nodded and picked up the objects, pocketing them carefully. They were warm to his touch, much like how Hermione's hands always felt, and he could feel the heat radiating through his pocket and somehow calming him down.

"Now, I'm assuming it'll be you, your family and Harry going out there tonight. Am I right?" Kingsley asked leaning back in his seat. Charlie nodded.

"Hmm…I don't think that's going to be enough. We have no idea what Dolohov will have waiting for you, and it will most certainly be more than one family worth of 'followers'," Kingsley said slowly mulling over his thoughts. "New York is one large city, do you know exactly where they are?"

"No not yet. The potion only tells us New York now but once we get there is starts being more specific. But like you said it's quite a big place and it could take a little while once we're there," Charlie explained. Kingsley sat there twiddling his thumbs, pondering. Charlie watched the minister in anticipation of what he might say next.

"OK, here's a plan. You lot all go over there this evening and I recommend as soon as you can, and then once you've found the place you get your father to send over patronus and I shall follow with backup. But you do not, Charlie and I mean do not, enter the building until we arrive, will you do that?" Kingsley examined the Weasley with a severe look and Charlie knew he had no choice. He gulped and nodded. Kingsley clapped his hands together, the mood in the room lightening up significnantly.

"Perfect, now if you don't mind me I now need to round up the best Aurors we have," he said rising up from his seat. But Charlie didn't more.

"I have one question, if you don't mind," he muttered quietly. Kingsley sat back down and peered over at Charlie curiously.

"Fire ahead, Charlie."

"Wouldn't it make sense if we all just left together?" Charlie asked. He was surprised when Kingsley's response was to laugh his deep booming laugh.

"Don't you think a large group of British wizards wondering around the streets of New York would bring a bit of attention to ourselves?" Kingsley asked. Charlie nodded somewhat sheepishly. "At least a group of 9 would be a little less conspicuous plus it would be a nightmare trying to get the Aurors to follow you and not do it their way." Kingsley finished with a sigh, but his eyes were smiling excitedly.

"I guess that makes sense. And a patronus sent from New York would be able to get here in time?"

"Arthur knows how to make that happen," Kingsley said simply with a smile. Charlie smiled back at the minister and this time stood up when he did. Charlie turned to head towards the door and one he reached it he turned the handle and was just about to leave when he heard Kingsley call back at him.

"Oh, and Charlie, don't worry about any sort of wand registration. I'll sort it all out." Charlie nodded back at the minister and left his office, for what he hoped would be the last time but little did he know it wouldn't be.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Meanwhile, as Charlie was talking to Kingsley, the rest of the Weasley children and Harry headed over to The Burrow, in desperate need to talk to their parents. They were surprised, however, to find the house empty when they stepped out of the fireplace.

"Mum! Dad!" they all hurried through the house in search for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley but to no avail. They couldn't find them anywhere. It wasn't until Ginny looked up at her mother's famous clock above the fireplace that she noticed her parents' hands were both pointing to 'OUT'.

"What's out meant to mean?" Bill asked as Ginny pointed it out to everyone else.

"I don't know," Ginny muttered collapsing into an armchair by the fireplace.

"Do you reckon we go looking for them, or just wait?" Fred asked also slumping down onto the sofa.

"I'd say wait. We have no idea where they are, they'll be back before we know it," Bill said, plopping down onto the old beanbag into the corner. Everyone agreed and sat down. But Mr. and Mrs. Weasley didn't return. A whole hour came and went and they still hadn't arrived and the clock arms hadn't shifted.

"You don't reckon they're in danger do you?" Ginny asked for the fifth time that hour.

"No, the clock would say so," George muttered, his eyes closed.

"Maybe we should go and look for them. They could be anywhere," Ginny said, worry evident in her voice.

"That's just it, Gin. They could be anywhere. We wouldn't find them," Fred groaned, also closing his eyes. It wasn't long until a snore escaped him to tell everyone he was asleep.

"They probably just went out for lunch. Merlin knows they deserve it," Bill reassured his sister.

It wasn't for another hour and a half until the clock arms moved and everyone jumped up to watch as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's faces slowly moved from OUT, to TRAVELLING and finally to HOME. They hurried to the front door to watch Mr. and Mrs. Weasley walk happily over to the house. The stopped suddenly, however, when they saw the six Weasley children, for Charlie had now joined them, and Harry standing in the doorway eagerly awaiting their arrival.

"What are you lot doing here?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Where have you been?" Bill questioned at the same time. The parents couldn't help but let out a smile.

"We went to Diagon Alley, but surely the clock told you that," Mr. Weasley said, entering his house and shrugging off his travelling cloak.

"No, it just said you were 'OUT'," Ginny said indignantly. "Great clock if it doesn't tell us where you were. You could have been hurt or something." Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest and almost glowered at her parents.

"Ginerva, no need to give us that look. It would have said if we were hurt. Although it is a bit odd it didn't say Diagon Alley, I'll have to have a look at it," Mrs. Weasley said as she too pulled off her travelling cloak and hung the two up by the door before shutting it and turning to face her children and Harry. "You still haven't answered, what are you doing here?" The children all cast looks at each other before Bill nodded at Charlie, telling him to explain.

"We know where Hermione is," he said simply. The reaction wasn't too dissimilar to what he was expecting. Mr. Weasley gave an excited shout and Mrs. Weasley almost collapsed, clasping her hand to her heart.

"How do you know?" she finally managed, after sitting herself down in a chair.

"Fred and George made a potion that tracked where some parchment had come from," Bill said. But he suddenly realised that made no sense for they hadn't told their parents about the pieces of parchment and photos Charlie had received from Dolohov. He made sure to correct himself and explained the whole process to his parents as Ginny hurried around the kitchen making tea and cake and everyone else sat around answering Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys' questions.

"And you're 100% sure she's in New York? How do you know he hasn't gone and sent you off his trail?" Mr. Weasley asked as Ginny returned with a tray of tea and cake for nine. The others all cast anxious looks at each other. Truth be told they hadn't thought about that. They had just assumed he wasn't that clever. But they should have been wrong to assume it.

"Surely it's worth a shot though?" Mrs. Weasley said, counteracting her husband. "I mean what are we going to lose? We find Hermione and jobs a good'ne or we don't and we're try again."

"I wasn't saying we shouldn't go. Was just voicing my concern that he is one step ahead of us," Mr. Weasley said thoughtfully as he accepted a slice of chocolate cake from his daughter. A peaceful, thoughtful silence filled the room. Charlie looked down at his watch and his eyes widened. It was already 5 o'clock in the evening. They really needed to get going. What was the point in waiting any longer? He cleared his throat, louder than he meant to.

"I reckon we need to get going. There's no point in waiting any longer, we may as well just go," he told the room. There were nods of agreement.

"We'll meet back here in 15 minutes. Everyone gather everything you'll need. Suitable clothing, boots, travelling cloaks and wands," Mr. Weasley said, rising from his seat and taking charge of the situation. There was a scramble as everyone stood up and started to hurry around the house in search for missing boots and transfigured cloaks. The Burrow was filled with shouts as people found each others' belongings and bellowed through the house to their sibling, friend, child or parent.

Ginny was the last to appear back in the living room, pulling on her old, tattered hand-me-down travelling cloak that had been shrunk to fit her slight frame better than her brothers' larger and taller frames.

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, crossing her hands in front of her chest staring at her youngest child. "Ginerva Weasley. You are not coming with us." Everyone stared at her.

"Yes I am, try and stop me," Ginny said as confidently as she could, but Charlie noticed her legs shake in slight fear of her mother.

"You're under age, Ginerva. You are not coming with us. It's simple."

"I am coming. She's my best friend and I am going to help find her," Ginny said, her voice cracking a little as she received an angry look from her mother.

"I am not letting you risk yourself. You're not 17 yet. You're too young and I won't let you come with us," Mrs. Weasley looked imploringly at her husband, for help.

"Your mother's right, I'm afraid Gin. You're not of age yet and you really shouldn't be coming with us," Mr. Weasley said, his voice, however, in a much softer tone.

"I don't care what you say. I'm helping you find Hermione and I don't care nor am I afraid of what that bastard has prepared. I am coming with you," Ginny said, her eyes glistening with tears but her anger was there. Charlie smiled at his sister. She wasn't going to be giving in that easily.

"I think I have the final say, and I say you're staying," Mrs. Weasley said as she turned to face the others. The fire inside of Ginny was burning fiercely now. Angry tears spilt down her cheeks. But she didn't care. How could her mother say such things? Her best friend was in trouble and she wasn't allowed to help. She glared at the back of her mother and tried to catch the eye of a brother or a boyfriend, pleading them to help but they were all avoiding her look, not wanting to be dragged into the middle of it.

"Charlie, portkey I think," Mr. Weasley said, casting a sorry look at his only daughter as the eight of them crowded around in a tight circle, Ginny blocked off. Charlie pulled out the comb and tapped it with his wand. "New York, America." It glowed a bright white and shook in his hand before setting down, a dull blue glow radiating from it. He stuck it out into the middle of the circle, pocketing his wand. The other Weasleys and Harry all touched a finger to it, ready and waiting. All they had to do was wait the 2 minutes. Without moving his body, Charlie stuck out the hand not touching the portkey behind him, towards where he knew his sister was standing. The comb let off an even brighter colour as the last few seconds passed before it would transport them over to America. Just seconds before feeling the distinctive tug behind his navel, Charlie also felt a tug on his outstretched hand and knew his idea had worked. He gripped both the comb and the other hand tightly as they spun through darkness, spinning towards New York.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

They landed with a loud thump. All nine of them. They were so crowded around the comb they all fell to the ground. They all scrambled to their feet taking in their surroundings. They were down a dark alleyway. About 20 metres to their left was a busy looking street, cars and people moving up and down the most likely Muggle street. To their right was a dead end. It was drizzling slightly and as Charlie looked up to the overcast grey sky there was a loud shout from near him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Charlie spun around to see that his mother had just noticed Ginny was standing among them.

"I said I was coming with you," she replied simply, not breaking eye contact with her mother.

"Charlie, give your sister the portkey. Immediately," Mrs. Weasley almost shouted at her second eldest son.

"I can't mum," he replied.

"Why not?" she asked, losing her cool and turned around to face Charlie.

"Because if I do that, we won't have any other way to get back," he replied, also not breaking eye contact with his mother and not informing her of the two other portkeys he had carefully stuffed in his travelling cloak's pocket. Mrs. Weasley growled. Ginny was smart. She didn't want to admit it, but what her daughter had done was clever. She obviously realised she wouldn't have been able to go back without them all and would have had to stay with them.

"Fine, but Ginny you're in a lot of trouble when we're back," she said and spun away from her daughter. Charlie high-fived his sister and couldn't help but snigger at the glare he received from Mrs. Weasley.

"Right, where to next, Charlie?" Bill asked, breaking the tension that had appeared in the alley with them. Charlie pulled out the tiny piece of parchment from his pocket and peered at it carefully. But it didn't show him anything new. He turned it over but again he had no luck.

"Fred, George. How does this work?" he asked, slightly worried by the lack of any instructions. He heard, rather than saw, the twins come up behind him.

"Give it time," the both said peering over his shoulders. They waited, carefully watching the small, old piece of parchment.

"There!" Fred suddenly, making Charlie jump at the sound level in his ear. When Charlie squinted he saw a tiny, faint blue arrow. It was pointing away from the busy street. He glanced over the other end and saw the looming wall creep high above them. He gulped. How in Merlin's beard were they going to get over that?

"Right. We're going that way," he said clearly, pointing at the wall. He watched as six sets of eyes traced the height of the wall.

"Um…how?" Ron asked timidly, clearly overcome by the height.

"No idea," Charlie admitted shoving the parchment back into the pocket. They did not want to be losing that.

"Gred and know how," George said, interrupting the silence that had ensued Charlie's comment. Everyone looked at the twins as they began searching their pockets.

"We thought some things may come in handy," Fred explained at the curious looks they were receiving from their family and Harry. Mrs. Weasley eyed them carefully. The twins finally found what they were looking for and pulled out a handful of tiny black flattened spherical objects and started handing out two to each person.

"There are newest invention," George said.

"Haven't even hit the shelves yet," Fred added. Mrs. Weasley eyed the objects suspiciously but after a look from her husband accepted the ones George was handing her nonetheless.

"You stick them to the bottom of your shoes and they turn into whatever you need them do," Fred explained attaching his two to the sole of his shoes. Everyone copied the twins.

"They'll become wings if you need to fly, or fins if you need to swim. You get the gist. But for now, we need some springs," George said excitedly. He and Fred walked over to the wall and stood next to it. Everyone followed. They looked at each other once and together said, "Jump." One last look at each other and they bent their knees and jumped. But they didn't just jump a foot or so into the air. They jumped right over the top of the wall. Everyone stared in amazement as the twins disappeared.

"It's quite alright. Try it now," their voices came quietly from the other side of the wall. Everyone looked at each other, worry evident in a number of faces.

"OK, Ginny and Bill first. Then I'll go with Mrs. Weasley. Charlie you follow with Harry and Ron, immediately," Mr. Weasley said, once again taking charge. They all nodded and first Ginny and Bill jumped over. Then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed by Charlie, Harry and Ron. The sensation was very odd. At first it felt like flying but once they reached the top and started going down the other side of the wall, Charlie's stomach flew into his mouth and he felt rather sick. They landed with a thud, and to their amazement remained on their feet.

"That was amazing," Ron said.

"Nice one you guys," Harry added, nodding at the twins who were beaming at everyone.

"If you wouldn't mind giving them back though, we have limited in stock and don't want them left lying around to be picked up by anyone," George asked sincerely, sticking out his hand to accept back the odd looking objects.

"Very clever, boys," Mr. Weasley said as he handed over his. The smirked at each other, glad to have their family's approval of their inventions. Charlie looked around. It seemed they were still in an alley and couldn't go any way than straight ahead. So he led them that way. He objected when Ron went to say "Lumos" after his fourth fall incase they brought attention to themselves, to what Charlie didn't know. But he wanted to be as discreet as possible. Still in darkness they reached a turning and Charlie pulled out the parchment. The arrow pointed down the even narrow alley. They turned to their left and headed down it, Charlie constantly checking the parchment. Everyone else with their wands ready just in case. They didn't know New York and they didn't know what to expect.

They weaved their way through the darkened alleys. It almost felt to Charlie like he was being plunged into an unknown forest, but with cleared paths and a map of sorts guiding them along. They had to double back at one stage after missing a turning but other than that they made great progress as the rain got heavier and the clouds got darker. Charlie just wished they would reach the place soon.

After more lefts and more rights Charlie stopped suddenly and everyone crashed into him, almost pushing him over the edge. They had reached what seemed to be a cliff and there was no way of telling what was waiting for them at the bottom. Charlie looked at the parchment and the arrow was still pointing onwards. But they couldn't go onwards. Unless the path continued down there. That was the only option.

"We need to get down there," Charlie said, his legs feeling rather shaky as he looked down. Heights at the end of a cliff didn't do so well with his stomach and he needed to take a few steps back from the edge.

"Fred, George. Anything in your pockets that'll let us get down there without dying?" Charlie asked, trying to keep the mood light.

After what felt like at least an hour but it could have been more the parchment did something odd. It glowed bright blue and then shriveled up and vanished. After being shone in brightness they were once again plunged into darkness. Fred and George merely pulled out the black objects again and started handing them out. One look at each other, they called out "Fall" before taking a jump. Everyone ran to the edge and watched as two bright parachutes suddenly appeared and slowed down. They all followed suit, jumping off the edge of the cliff and slowly falling. They fell for what felt like and incredibly long time before finally hitting the ground.

"These really are a work of art," Bill said as he took off the black objects and handed them back to the twins. "What are you going to call them?"

"We don't know yet," they said as they accepted back the objects.

"That's why we haven't put them on the shelves yet, we can't think of a good enough name," George explained, pocketing the little circles. Charlie looked down at the parchment and saw the small arrow pointing to the right. He led everyone that way. They were now surrounded by fields and the claustrophobia began to disappear as they hurried down the track. But it wasn't long until the parchment starting doing something a little odd. It glowed a bright blue, lighting up the area so they saw a gate ahead of them. It then shriveled up and disappeared, once again plunging them into darkness.

"What did that mean?" Charlie asked as he stopped.

"That means we're here," Fred and George both replied. They looked around. Here? There was nothing here? But then, just like what happened at Grimmauld Place, the gate began to move. Mr. Weasley silently sent a silver Weasel back to the UK. They stood and watched as a small, one floored building slowly appeared in front of it, one solitary window emitting light onto the track.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I got a little carried away so apologies if it's boring but hopefully it'll pick up! Please review and comment any of your thoughts, both good & bad please! And apologies in advance if it's a while before I next update!)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here's a new chapter for you, it's quite short so sorry about that but figured you'd rather have something updated than nothing at all. I reckon we're drawing towards the end, unfortunately, probably 3 more chapters and maybe an epilogue. I do have an idea for a sequel though so let me know if you want that! As always leave a review please :))**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 20**

There were a series of loud pops behind them and the Weasleys and Harry all whipped around, their wands drawn pointing at the people who had just arrived. A sigh of relief escaped Charlie's lips when he spotted the distinctive purple robes in the eerie light.

"That was quick," Ginny said, surprised that those standing in front of them had arrived so soon.

"We have our ways," Kingsley said with a wink at the only Weasley daughter.

"Well, shall we get on with this then," Bill interrupted turning back to face the small bungalow. A silence spread through the group. But no one moved. Bill was finally the one to do anything as he took the few steps forward and tentatively pushed the gate open. It creaked open, sending shivers down everyone's spines. Charlie felt as if they were about to enter a haunted house on Halloween. Bill began to walk down the short path towards the front door and everyone followed him, a few steps behind. Bill reached the door and went to raise his hand to knock when the door just opened in front of them. Apprehension filled the air. Tentatively Bill crossed the threshold taking a step into the building. He took another step and another. And nothing happened. Charlie hadn't noticed he was holding his breath but he let out a sigh of relief when Bill turned around and beckoned for everyone to follow them. Slowly the rest of the Weasleys, Harry, Kingsley and the Aurors followed the eldest Weasley child down the path and through the door, slowly to begin with but speeding up as they realised nothing was happening.

"Well, well, well," a drawl echoed around the stone entrance hall, loud and clear so as everyone could hear. There was slam and everyone spun around to see the front door now closed. They were trapped. They weren't getting out without a fight. And they weren't getting out without Hermione.

"I could have guessed you lot would be here at some point," the same drawl surrounded the group huddled together. They were all turning their heads, their eyes screwed in the semi darkness to try and locate the source of the voice; it almost looked comical. Then suddenly a bright flash of red sparks shot towards the group. Kingsley acted the quickest and just in the nick of time his protective shield spread out protecting everyone, the red sparks bouncing off and hitting the wall just above them.

"Quick reactions, I'm impressed," the voice sounded once again.

"Whoever you are, show yourself," Charlie shouted, sounding a lot more confident than he actually felt. There was a cackle but then the lights brightened and through his blinking eyes Charlie could finally make out the layout of the room they were standing in. It was large and oval a stone staircase leading both up and down running around the room. Large, stone pillars held up the upper floors. It seemed a whole lot larger from the inside than it did from outside. How they were going to find Hermione any time soon, Charlie didn't know. Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and everyone's heads turned to watch the feet, the legs, the torso and finally the head appear. There was only one person it could be: Antonin Dolohov. Charlie had to resist the urge to lash out and start hexing him right there and then. Bill obviously knew what he was thinking and gently put his hand on Charlie's shoulder as if to tell him no.

"My, my, I wasn't expecting this many. I guess that's just more to die during the attempt to save a petty, useless mudblood," Dolohov sneered. Charlie tensed, as did everyone else. Charlie was gripping his wand so tight he hand had gone white and his fingernails were cutting into his palm.

"If she's useless, why did you take her?" Harry asked, his voice strong and confident sounding. Little did everyone know he was shaking with anger and just like Charlie was resisting the urge to fight.

"You obviously misheard me, didn't you? She wasn't useless, but she is now. I mean what can you do with a dead mudblood," Dolohov said with a laugh. That was the last straw for Charlie.

"Stupefy," he yelled pointing his wand at Dolohov. But in his anger he misfired the spell and it hit the wall a few inches above Dolohov's head. Chaos ensued. There was an onslaught of spells fired at the group who all dispersed rapidly to avoid getting hit by one of the jets of light. Charlie dived to the ground still fuming at Dolohov's comment. But unlike a while ago when he had been told Hermione had died and believed it this time he didn't. Dolohov was just provoking them. Hermione was here and alive, she had to be. From the ground, Charlie looked around and saw multiple flashes of lights being sent in all directions. Lanterns had been lit and the hall was now a flood with light and Charlie could now see that they were easily outnumbered, at least 5 to 1. It was going to be a lot harder than he had initially thought. But that didn't mean they were going to be unsuccessful.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

A loud crash came from above and she huddled herself further into the far corner of the room. She was trembling, not just with cold as her naked body lay in contact with the cold stone but also from fear. What were all these loud noises and bangs? What was going on upstairs? Maybe he was having a fight with someone? Or maybe he was rebuilding it? Maybe she was coming to her end? Secretly she hoped it was the latter. She was sick and tired and in so much pain she could barely move from her huddled position. Her eyelids were screwed shut but she didn't miss the footsteps outside the door. The door opened. She flinched, knowing exactly what was about to happen. But it wasn't the same. The door wasn't flung open. But rather opened more slowly.

She managed to open her eyes a slit and looked over at the door. The man who had just entered was tall and muscular, his blonde hair pulled slickly to one side. He walked with purpose towards her, his footsteps echoing around the hall. She squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of what might happen this time. When he reached her, however, he didn't turn to hit or beat her but rather gruffly grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to her feet. She let out a shout as pain coursed through her body at the sudden movements and strong grip around her upper arms. She was practically dragged out of the door and down the corridor. Where on earth was she going? When in the corridor the bangs and shouts became much louder echoing down the stairs to their level. But he led her away from the noise further and further down the corridor. The further they went the darker it go as the lanterns slowly disappeared in number.

He suddenly stopped and let go of her. Her legs crumbled and she fell to the floor, another bruise to add to the hundreds she already had. She heard a click of a lock and a sliding of a door as it opened. The next second she was being dragged along the cold floor, the stone grazing her back. She was then pushed with a fair amount of force. But rather than sliding along the floor she began to feel herself fall. She had been pushed down stairs. Her body bumped and hit each step one at a time. She had no strength to stop herself and just had to wish the staircase wasn't too long. She finally landed with a thump at the bottom, more pain radiating through her body. But she was unable to move. Something warm was falling down her face. The door above slid shut and she lost all consciousness.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie heaved himself to his feet and immediately cast a protective spell upon catching sight of the flash of yellow light heading his way. They bounced off and hit the sender right in the stomach. They grabbed their stomach momentarily before collapsing to the floor, unmoving. Mentally praising himself Charlie hurried over to Ron's side and began firing spells to and fro with a handful of Death Eaters. He was reminded distinctly of the time immediately before Hermione was first injured back during the battle at Hogwarts when he, Fred, Percy and Hermione were all fighting a bunch of Death Eaters, especially successfully he must admit. He felt a pang of guilt that it had taken him this long to help her. He shook his head as he sent a particularly well-aimed stunning spell to the chest of one of the Death Eaters causing them to tumble forward. No later had that Death Eater fallen but another sprang up just behind them and sent a rapid flash of green light. Charlie threw himself at Ron, knocking him onto the floor but safely away from the killing spell. He wasn't going to let another family member die on his watch.

The noises and flashes of light kept Charlie occupied for a long time, battling his way through the huge number of Death Eaters. Every now and again he would do a quick head count of red hair to check everyone was still standing. He knew a few Aurors had fallen having tripped over some of their bodies but as selfish as it was to think it a part of him was secretly glad it was them rather than a Weasley or Harry.

It wasn't long before Charlie found himself dueling Malfoy. It took even less time until his legs were dancing along to some kind of quickstep having not got away from Malfoy's firing of 'Tarantallegra' quick enough. Charlie stumbled around trying to aim a spell at Malfoy at the same time but with no success. Each time he went to send a curse he would suddenly jerk and the spell would miss and bounce off the wall. But for now he had managed to keep on his feet. But he did know he wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He needed to try and get someone's attention to reverse the spell. He was beginning to feel rather vulnerable as Malfoy kept on firing a spell unknown to Charlie that would cause scratches to appear on his body, it was beginning to hurt quite a bit. Charlie was surprised Malfoy wasn't aiming to do anything worse. As he tried to avoid a stunning spell he tripped over and found himself lying flat on his back his legs waving wildly in the air. He heard footsteps getting closer and he tried to heave himself up but to no avail.

Malfoy now stood above Charlie, sneering down at him.

"Looks like you're in a bit of trouble here, Weasley. Sham your girlfriend is no longer around to help you," he taunted. Charlie's eyes flashed with anger. His wand was much steadier now he was lying relatively still so he was able to send a much better aimed stunner. But Malfoy was quick and jumped out of the way.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Weasley. Wouldn't want my master knowing it was you who knocked down her second-in-command," Malfoy said. Charlie hesitated for a fraction of a second considering what Malfoy had said. But why did he care what Dolohov thought? He was going to be Azkaban or dead by the end of the night. Charlie hesitated for a second too long and Malfoy raised his wand and uttered "Cruc-". But he never finished his curse but rather fell backwards and lay motionless on the floor. Charlie felt his legs go back to normal and sat up to see Bill staring over at him, his face grave. Bill walked over and lent Charlie a hand.

"Thanks," Charlie muttered.

"Don't mention it," Bill replied. "He's a filthy git, it's what he deserved."

"You…you didn't kill him did you?" Charlie questioned.

"Merlin, no. He deserves to suffer in Azkaban, not get the short route out with death," Bill responded.

"How are we doing do you know?" Charlie asked, having been occupied with Malfoy for a fair while.

"I think we've got more of them down than we have down. Fred smashed his leg but it managing to fire some spells from a hidden corner and George has the nastiest gash by his eye but is fine. Everyone else is doing well. We've lost about 10 Aurors I think but I don't know how many are just stunned and how many were actually killed, I daren't check," Bill explained. Charlie was relieved that the Weasleys had suffered a broken leg and a gash near an eye at the worse. But they still had a lot to do.

Suddenly a body flung themselves over Bill and Charlie throwing them to the floor. They were trapped underneath whoever it was but it didn't take long for Charlie to realise it had been Ron who had knocked them over.

"Maybe spend a little less time talking and a bit more time focusing and you might avoid getting hit by Unforgiveable Curses," Ron muttered angrily as he stood up. Bill and Charlie shared a worried look.

"Yes, I just saved both of your lives. Now I'm sure we wouldn't say no to you helping out," Ron said huffily before storming off and hitting the Death Eater fighting Ginny with a stunning spell right in the face. Bill and Charlie clambered to their feet and headed off in opposite directions to continue their fighting.

"Have you seen Dolohov recently?" Charlie shouted over the continuous noises.

"No he disappeared off not long after we started fighting," Kingsley replied after hitting one Death Eater and turning to face another. There were so many of them and Charlie had no idea how the numbers didn't seem to be going down.

"I think I need –" but Charlie didn't manage to finish his sentence as one of the pillars came crashing to the floor. He leapt out of the way but not quite quickly enough and he felt his foot getting crushed under the immense weight of the pillar. He noticed the arm of one of the Death Eaters he had just been fighting and knew they had been even less successful. He tried to wriggle free but he couldn't move. He was well and truly trapped and he didn't know how he was going to get out of it. He spotted a Death Eater creeping up behind Ginny but was able to stun him before he had even raised his wand. At least from here he was able to spot Death Eaters who were taking the unfair route and trying to attack from behind. He had managed to hit at least 5 before Harry was by his side.

"Charlie? Are you OK? What are you…oh…right um…ok, how do you reckon we get this pillar off you?" Harry stuttered upon noticing why Charlie was on the floor.

"Levitate it I reckon. But could you do it like now please? I'm quite useless down here," Charlie said, a little angrier than he had meant. Harry nodded and stood up. He pointed his wand at the pillar and managed to levitate it enough so Charlie could pull his foot out from underneath. He knew the bones were crushed and he was going to have trouble putting any weight on it.

"Can you get mum over? I reckon she knows a bone healing spell," Charlie asked Harry, who hurried off and reappeared a minute later with Mrs. Weasley.

"I'd better be off. Hope it's OK Charlie," Harry muttered and ran off to join Ron in battling three Death Eaters.

"Mum, stop staring around and please fix my foot," Charlie said rather forcefully. Mrs. Weasley was brought back to her senses and quickly cast a healing spell over Charlie's foot. He felt pain at first and then relief. He was now able to move the toes and knew he would be able to bear at least a little weight.

"You're still going to have to get that checked out at St Mungo's though," Mrs. Weasley said. Hee voice seemed a bit off to Charlie and he was worried something was bothering her. He didn't ask her though.

"Thanks, mum. How's everything going?" Charlie asked quickly wanting to start moving again.

"Fine. We're all fine. I had better go back and join your father. And Charlie, maybe you should think about finding Hermione so we can all get out of here whilst we're all still alive," Mrs. Weasley said rather tartly before turning her back and hurrying off. Charlie felt a pang of guilt. It's not like he had forgotten about Hermione but rather that he had been so preoccupied with fighting the Death Eaters he hadn't wanted to leave everyone else to battle them by themselves. Groaning he heaved himself and gingerly put some weight on his foot. It stung a bit but it held steady. He quickly ducked a flash of orange flames and sent a stunning spell in the direction they had come from. He noticed where the stairs were and hurried around the pillar and towards them, on a mission to find Hermione. But he stopped suddenly when he reached the other side of the pillar and noticed a sight he never wanted to see. There, lying the floor, his legs crushed by the pillar was Kingsley Shacklebolt still and unconscious.

 **(A/N: again sorry it was short but hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Definitely not my best so will probably come back and edit it when I have the time! please please please leave a review, i lover every single one of them!)**


	21. Chapter 21

**A new chapter - again sorry it's been a while! Hope you enjoy it and as every leave a review please!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 21**

Charlie felt his knees slam into the stone floor before realising he had fallen at the head of the person he had considered a mentor in recent weeks. Someone he respected, appreciated and cared about. And someone he knew who had busted his ass off to help them all find Hermione. He tentatively reached out and pressed two cold fingers to the minister's neck. After sitting there for a few moments, much to his relief he felt a very faint and very irregular heartbeat.

Then, he felt a whoosh from just above his head and looking up he caught eyes with bright grey ones. He barely had time to register what had happened before another green flash of light whizzed past him. He dived out of the way and ducking behind the fallen pillar he carefully aimed at the Death Eater and sent a perfectly aimed stunning spell. He crumpled to the floor and lay motionless. Under the mask Charlie noticed a lock of silver blonde hair. Lucius Malfoy, someone who had managed to get out of his trial and avoid getting sent to Azkaban. Charlie spotted Bill just hit another Death Eater.

"Bill! Bill!" he shouted until his elder brother spotted him and hurried over.

"Charlie! What is it?" Bill asked, panting slightly. Charlie just nodded to where Kingsley lay still motionless.

"Oh my," was all Bill could mutter.

"Look, he's alive. He has a pulse. It's not very strong and not regular but it's there. Can you get him to St Mungo's? And maybe take Fred too if his leg is still bad," Charlie told him, snapping Bill out of his thoughts. Bill shook his mane of hair and nodded grimly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, knowing full well what Charlie was about to say.

"I need to get Hermione," Charlie said quietly slumping slightly against the pillar. The noise had decreased significantly and Charlie believed they had got most of the Death Eaters and were much less outnumbered. "Make sure everyone stays safe. I'll be home soon." Charlie didn't wait for Bill's response but jumped to his feet and ran off towards the stairs, ducking many spells on the way and saving Ginny from a near stunner.

Charlie cast one more look back over his shoulder, smiled at Bill and hurried up the stairs. He reached the floor above and groaned inwardly. There were at least 50 doors lining the walls, it was going to take Charlie forever to find Hermione. But that didn't stop him. He knew he was on a time frame and knew he had to act fast. He pushed open the first door and to his surprise it swung open. The room was dark apart from an eerie light over in one corner. Carefully, with his wand held out in front of him, Charlie walked over towards the glow. He reached the peculiar object and examined it suspiciously. It looked to be a filled with some kind of swirling silvery substance. Charlie spotted the runes around the edges and knew instantly it was a pensieve. He had never seen one in person before but knew what they looked like and what they did. Distant movement was happening inside when curiosity took the better of him and he plunged his head into the substance to watch the memory beneath him.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

The door opened and Charlie saw someone leave before it shut again. In the brief light that came through the door he spotted a figure huddled in the corner, shaking with sobs. A moment before the room was plunged into darkness he spotted the distinctive bushy brown hair.

Charlie then found himself the other side of the closed door watching the figure walk down the corridor towards another stationary person.

"She hasn't got long," the first man said. "Maybe a few days at most."

"But I reversed the curse and she's meant to be fine now," the second man said, anguish apparent in his voice.

"It doesn't help when all you do is beat her. What else did you expect to happen?" the first voice said quite harshly. There was silence as the second didn't answer.

"But I have to do something. She can't die. She knows things I need. She has things I need," the second voice finally said, almost as if he was pleading with the first.

"My Lord, there is nothing I can do. The only thing that will save her is taking her to St Mungo's but that's hardly the safest idea." There was a hiss at that comment from Dolohov.

"She's not going there, we'll have to do something else." Another silence filled the corridor.

"Oooh, I know. What about unicorn blood?" the first voice finally asked breaking the tense silence.

"You're not having a joke with me are you Malfoy?" Dolohov asked, his voice filled with tension but also apprehension and excitement.

"Not at all, my Lord. Unicorn blood keeps anyone alive who is close to death," Malfoy said excitedly.

"What are you waiting for then? Off you go and get some. I need her alive and I need her children now," Dolohov commanded. But Malfoy didn't move.

"Why are you still stood here?"

"Umm…Unicorn blood leaves the drinker cursed forever," Malfoy finally gulped.

"Do I look like I care that much?"

"No, my Lord. I shall leave now," Malfoy said hurriedly with a bow before turning around and almost running down the corridor.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie pulled himself out of the pensieve and stood up. Hermione had been given unicorn blood. But that meant she would be cursed for the rest of her life? But maybe, hopefully Malfoy hadn't got it to her in time? Shaking his head and hoping for the best Charlie left the room, ready to continue his search for Hermione to get her out of this man's hands. Once he shut the door to the first room he took a deep breath ready to move on to the next room. Below him he could still hear noises from downstairs but they were much more infrequent than earlier and didn't sound so loud. He just wished everyone was still OK. He wished this had never happened and he had been more careful at the Battle. He wished he could see Hermione again.

He took a deep breath and walked the few steps to the next door and again pushed it open. But this time the door didn't budge. He tried turning the handle and pulling at it. He tried every kind of combination of handle turning and pushing or pulling but the door would still not open. He pulled his wand out from his pocket and was just about to try to magically open the door when he felt some dig into the side of his neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a nasally voice came from the side. Charlie slowly turned his head to see who had their wand sticking in his neck. He wasn't surprised when the figure standing next to him was dressed head to foot in a black cloak, a mask hiding their identity. Charlie didn't have time to react before a fist made hard contact with the side of his head. He lost his balance and tumbled to the floor gasping in pain. He made to stand up but a foot connected with his stomach and he was winded. He couldn't move as he wheezed for air, bracing himself for another hit. This time he was dragged to his feet and thrown against the wall. He slumped to the floor, clutching at his stomach pain radiating through his body. He wasn't going to get out of this one. He was too weak and in too much pain to think and start throwing hexes as his opponent. He was expecting another contact. But it never came. Instead he heard a loud thump a few feet away from him. He opened his eyes and saw the Death Eater crumbled in a pile, Harry standing behind triumphant.

"What…what are you doing here?" Charlie asked. It was at that point he realised he hadn't heard any crashes or spells in a while. Harry smiled at him, reached his hand out and pulled Charlie to his feet.

"We're done. We got all the Death Eaters that came to fight us. Everyone has gone to St Mungo's to get Kingsley sorted and Fred's leg fixed. But I thought you should have some help. And I'm glad I came, you were very close to not making it past that one," Harry explained. Charlie smiled back at Harry.

"Thank you," he muttered.

The room in front of him was large, circular and bright. The ceiling was made of glass and Charlie could see sunlight spreading over the sky, they had apparently been trapped in side fighting for a lot longer than he had thought. Covering every inch of wall were bookshelves, lined with hundreds and thousands of books. Charlie was intrigued and was about to head over to a section on 'Magical Creatures' when sense got the better of him and he stopped walking any further. In the middle of the room was a large, beige couch. The cushions indented in two places. He walked over and sat down on one of the indentions. It was warm. Someone, or more than one, had been in this room recently. Charlie felt his heart hammer inside him. He needed to stay on his guard; he had no idea where Dolohov was and who else was with him. He stood up and his eyes skirted the floor, wondering if there was a trap door. But it was covered in a plush carpet that didn't look like it could be lifted up.

He heard a chuckle from somewhere in the room and he momentarily forgot Harry was with him and drew out his wand turning around.

"What?" he asked Harry, confused at the smile that was radiating across his face.

"Nothing, just thinking how much Hermione would love this room and how jealous she would be knowing we're here," Harry smiled. Charlie let out a laugh as he imagined the look on Hermione's face as she took in this room.

"I don't think there's anything here to help us," Charlie shrugged and headed to the door.

But he stopped suddenly and Harry walked straight into the back of him. What if there was a door behind one of the shelves? That's always a possibility.

"Charlie?" Charlie turned around and looked straight into Harry's eyes.

"Are you ok?" Harry questioned, raising an eyebrow at Charlie.

"What if the shelves are hiding a trapped door?" he whispered. Charlie knew Hermione was being kept in a dark room off a brightly lit corridor. From what he saw the corridor had no doors or windows so it couldn't be the one he had just been walking down. It had to be somewhere else. He hadn't seen stairs to lead him down underneath the building so what if the corridor was hidden? It would mean it was harder to find Hermione and Charlie wouldn't be surprised if that had been Dolohov's plan all along.

"Right. You know we're not in some sort of fictional game don't you?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, I know but listen. I was just next door at their was a pensieve. The memory showed me Hermione, or at least I think it was her, in a dark room with no windows or anything. The door led into a bright corridor, brighter than the one just out there and it definitely didn't have a hundred other doors off of it so it can't be that one. There are no stairs to lead us downstairs so surely it must be hidden somewhere. Plus if it were hidden it would make it harder for us to find her," Charlie said so fast he was surprised that Harry even understood what he had just said.

"OK, well let's get looking," Harry replied after a second to take in what Charlie had just said. He hurried over to one side of the room and Charlie headed to the other. He began pulling book after book off the shelves in an attempt to unlock some kind of door but to no avail. Checking over his shoulder every now and again he noticed Harry having just as little success. The floor was scattered with books and the continuous groans from the two men hinted at the fact that they were not finding a clue.

As if by luck, when Charlie pulled on the second to last book on the middle shelf there was a loud creak. A few seconds later the shelf toppled forward and Charlie barely managed to jump out of the way. Behind the shelf was a narrow, old-looking, wooden door. Charlie reached out slowly and carefully turned at the handle and it swung open.

"Well that was easy," Harry smirked from behind him. Charlie smiled; they were getting closer. His heart began to beat rapidly, thumping loudly against his ribs. He felt a bead of sweat drip down the back of his neck in anticipation. He couldn't help but let a small smile escape his lips.

"Let's go," he announced and lighting the tip of his wand with a small beam of light he walked through the door and into darkness. Taking one quick look at the room, Harry also lit his wand before following the elder Weasley into the dark.

They walked in silence for a few minutes down the very narrow tunnel with the only sound coming from their shoes clicking against the stone floor. The tunnel began to get wider and started to slope downwards. Charlie's heart began to race as he spotted a small light in the distance. His pace quickened as it got larger and they got closer. They finally pushed though an archway in a long, brightly lit corridor. Charlie's heart skipped a beat; he recognised the corridor from the memory. They had to be close. He flicked the light out at the end of his wand and turned around to face Harry, a smile on his face.

"We're in the right place," he said.

"Are you sure?" Harry questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, she's in a room off this corridor. I saw a memory in a pensieve in the room before the last and it was definitely in this corridor," Charlie explained. He cast an eye around the corridor but felt a jolt when he couldn't see a door in the near vicinity.

"Good. I'll look this end, you go that way," Harry announced turning to his right and send Charlie down the to left. Charlie hurried down the corridor casting an eye down both sides of the corridor on the look out for a door. It wasn't long before he saw one of the left. Yes, that must be right. There was a lantern bracket directly opposite.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps getting closer and whipped around, he wand drawn in front of him.

"Whoa, it's just me," Harry said, his hands raised. Charlie lowered his wand. "No doors that end. But it looks like you had success." Harry nodded to the door. Charlie nodded feeling completely overwhelmed. He didn't know what to think. He was pleased and delighted they had finally found the right place. But at the same time he was apprehensive and worried at the thought of maybe being too late and the fact they hadn't seen Dolohov since they first arrived.

"Are you going to get her or just stare at the door forever?" Harry's voice finally entered Charlie's mind. He shook his head, trying to clear it of all the thoughts. He took a deep breath and stepped towards the door. Slowly, he reached out and grasped the cold, metal handle. He turned it and to his relief he heard a click. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, lighting his wand once more. Harry followed him into the room. Charlie looked around the room in the dim light, taking longer to examine the corners in the hope to find Hermione. But to his dismay he saw nothing.

"It's a shame you're too late," a drawl came from behind the two boys and the door clicked shut behind them.

 **(A/N: whoops ended that on a bit of a cliffy, sorry if it's a while until the next update but I'll try and get it up as soon as I can! Please please please leave a review!)**


	22. Chapter 22

**I don't think I've written a chapter that quickly before, but here you go - enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 22**

Charlie gulped as he slowly turned around, dreading who he would see. It did not surprise him that his lit wand illuminated the long face belonging to Antonin Dolohov.

"I must say you all put up a good fight," Dolohov drawled, his lips turning up into a smirk. "Sad, though, that you didn't make it here in time." Charlie and Harry exchanged a worried look. But to Charlie, there was something in Dolohov's eye that told him something else.

"You're lying," Charlie said as strongly as he could, his voice cracking a bit.

"Oh really?" Dolohov sneered. "And what makes you think that?"

"I…I made that mistake before believing it and I was wrong. This time I know, I'm right," Charlie said as defiantly as he could despite his voice straining somewhat. Although that may be true, he wasn't entirely sure he believed what he had just said. But there was slither of hope. There was always hope until it was proven otherwise.

"You can't prove anything," Dolohov retorted. But it seemed as if his voice shook a little bit. Charlie eyed him in the dim light and wasn't surprised to see a flicker of apprehension.

"No. You're right. I can't. But I can hope," Charlie said.

"That's sweet if all you can do is hope." Charlie narrowed his eyes as they locked onto Dolohov's grey ones. "But good luck actually doing anything now." And before either Charlie or Harry could do or say anything Dolohov left the room and they heard a distinctive click as the door locked. Charlie groaned loudly as he fiddled with the door handle but it didn't budge. They were stuck. And they still hadn't found and rescued Hermione. Who knew where she was now. The memory he had seen in the pensieve couldn't have been that old.

Charlie slumped down against the wall his head buried in his hands. He could hear Harry pacing around the room, his shoes clicking with each step. He found it somewhat calming as he racked his brain on how they were going to get out of the situation.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

She rolled over and was very surprised at what she saw in front of her. She blinked a few times just to make sure she wasn't making it up. No, she was definitely in St Mungo's. She tried to remember how she ended up in the hospital bed but despite her efforts nothing came back to her.

"Ah you're awake. How are you feeling?" an unrecognisable male voice came from above her. She looked up and made eye contact with a young Healer, who couldn't have been much older than 25 or so.

"Why…why am I here?" Ginny croaked, her throat stinging.

"You got hit by a couple of nasty stunning spell," the healer responded. "But it doesn't seem like you'll have any lasting effects." Ginny nodded as she distantly recalled a warm feeling spreading through her body before blackness overcame her. But the nodding hurt so she stopped immediately.

"Where is everyone?" she asked. "They're all OK aren't they?" The healer smiled and Ginny was relieved to see him nod his head.

"Everyone's fine. Your brother had a horrible break in his leg but that was fixed very quickly. No injuries that couldn't be sorted immediately. They actually left to go to the tearoom about three minutes before you woke up. I don't think they'll be long."

"Did they find Hermione?" she asked her voice low, worrying about the potential answer. The smile left the healers face and Ginny's heart skipped a beat.

"Not that I'm aware of, unfortunately," he said, his voice filled with sorrow. Ginny closed her eyes, not wanting him to see the tears appear. She heard his footsteps leave her room and without a second thought she threw her blanket off her body. She grimaced with a bit of pain but she fought through it. If Charlie hadn't found Hermione by now he was probably in trouble. It shouldn't have taken him this long. She rummaged around the room and found her blood stained, dirty clothes and pulled them on, casting a quick cleaning spell to look slightly more respectable. She tied her messy red hair into a bun, pocketed her wand, shrugged on her jacket and made her way from the room.

She was just about to close the door behind her when a thought hit her. How would her family react if they turned up and she had just disappeared? She quickly summoned a piece of parchment and quill and wrote a note to the rest of the Weasleys: _I've gone to help Charlie. I'll be fine – don't worry. Be back soon. Gx_

Satisfied, she put the note on her bed and hurried out of the room, the adrenaline masking the aches that radiated through her body. Ginny didn't know where in the hospital she was or where she was going so it took her a little while until she found the reception and disappeared outside. She cast looks down both ends of the alley, not that she needed to, as it was still dark and evidently the very early hours of the morning. Thinking of the house in the country where they had been she turned on the spot and disapparated.

Ginny's feet slammed into the ground and she stumbled little unsteadily but managed to remain upright. She looked around and saw the pathway leading to the building where Hermione, and no doubt Charlie, were. She hurried down the path and pushed open the door. Her mouth opened wide in shock as she took in the room in front of her. It was a bombsite; pillars on the ground, holes in the walls, the stairs missing great chunks and bodies strewn across the floor.

Not wanting to look at who was on the floor, Ginny maneuvered her way over to the stairs. She didn't know where Hermione or Charlie were but they definitely weren't in the main entrance and there didn't seem to be anywhere else to go other than upstairs. She took the stairs two at a time, avoiding the missing steps until she reached the top. Once at the top she looked around and groaned inwardly as she saw multiple doors lining the corridor. They could be anywhere. But her eyes flickered with determination and she quickly darted inside the first room.

Just as Charlie had been enamored by the glowing light in the corner not too long earlier, Ginny was captivated and felt as if she was in a trance as she crossed the room and looked down into the pensieve. Unlike Charlie, however, she didn't need to enter the pensieve to make out the memory. Squinting her eyes she saw three figures inside a dark room, lit only by two wands. One of the men, the short hair making Ginny assume they were all male, turned around and locked the door behind him. And then darkness filled the pensieve until it seemed the memory repeated itself: three men talking before one of the leaves. Screwing up her eyes, Ginny was determined that one of the men was sporting a mop of flaming red hair: Charlie. Who the other two were, Ginny couldn't tell.

Ginny pulled herself away from the pensieve and hurried out of the room, more determined than ever to find Charlie and whoever was with him. They must be locked away somewhere. She had to find them before she ran out of time. She carefully made her way into the next room and was shocked at the sight in front of her. Thousands of books were littered on the floor. Ginny was about to turn around when something caught her eye. The last few books by the window on one side were still on the shelves. She tentatively walked over, trying to avoid the books and felt a rush of energy as she noticed the open trap door. Her heart began to beat fast, she must be in the right place; surely she was.

Taking a deep breath she lit the top of her wand and stepped into the narrow tunnel. She walked through it, her hammering heart the only thing she was conscious of. Her hand began to shake a little at what might appear at the end. It felt like an age before she spotted the every increasing light at the end. She subconsciously began to speed up until she burst into a brightly lit corridor. She had to squeeze her eyes shut at the sudden brilliance. Once they adjusted she opened her eyes once more and looked up and down the corridor before deciding to head to the left. Less than a hundred metres she spotted a door on her left. She carefully reached out and twisted the door handle, but id didn't move. It was locked. She was tempted to move on but something inside of her was telling her to unlock the room and look inside.

Her heart beating even faster Ginny pointed her wand at the lock and said, "Aloh-". But she wasn't able to finish the spell.

"I don't think that's your best idea little girl." Knowing who she was about to face, Ginny slowly turned around. She was right when she caught sight of Draco Malfoy leaning against the other wall.

"And what makes you say that?" she asked, surprising even herself at how strong her voice sounded.

"Because I say so," Malfoy sneered.

"Last time I checked I don't take orders from Death Eaters so if you don't have anything better to say I suggest you leave now," Ginny said, her voice slowly getting higher. Malfoy just laughed.

"And I don't think I take order from a Weasley so it looks like we're a bit stuck." Ginny was sure he could hear her heart hammering against her ribs. She couldn't see how she was going to get out of this situation. She racked her brain thinking of any possible solution. No. Nothing came to her. It didn't seem like there was anyone else nearby so if she could just get Malfoy down she would surely be fine. She just needed to keep him distracted for a while.

"What are you even doing here, Malfoy?" she asked trying her utmost to eradicate the fear from her voice.

"I could ask you the same thing," he sneered. He seemed so relaxed leaning against the wall. Ginny made a mental note that she couldn't see his wand in either hand.

"That's not answering my question," she said determinedly.

"I don't see why something like that is of any interest of you," Malfoy responded, clearly trying to avoid answering the question. He surveyed the youngest Weasley trying to understand where she was taking this 'conversation'.

"Only because I'm curious how long you've been working for Dolohov," Ginny said simply. She was surprised at the flash that crossed Malfoy's eyes. What had that mean? Fear? Or confusion? But Malfoy was so good a hiding any sort of emotion, Ginny wasn't able to tell. But she used that moment. That moment of what looked like witness. Without a second thought she pointed her wand at him and sent a silent stunner. But it turned out Malfoy was much more prepared than Ginny thought and dove to the left to avoid the flash of red light, simultaneously pulling out his wand and sending a retaliating stunner back at Ginny. She was expecting it though and produced an individual shield. The red light bounced of the shield and hit the lantern bracket opposite her. It exploded and rained glass over the duo. Ginny shielded her head with her arms. But in doing that she made the mistake of losing her shield. Malfoy used the opportunity to send a conjunctivitis curse.

Ginny's eyes went red and began to itch. She was sure Malfoy had her now. Her eyes were so uncomfortable she was sure she wouldn't be able to see well enough to aim anything at Malfoy. But desperate times take for desparate measures. She sat there, pretending to shield herself from the glass fragments as she carefully aligned her wand with where she knew Malfoy was. But rather than attempting to aim at him she aimed slightly to his right thinking that if he saw the light he would leap out of the way as he had done previously and jump right into the line of the spell. Or at least that was what Ginny hoped. She had to get this right.

"Petrificus Totalus," she whispered so quietly she almost thought she hadn't even said anything. A flash of white light and much to Ginny's delight she had calculated it correctly. Malfoy, rather than looking where the spell was going, jumped to his right assuming the spell was heading straight for him. It was almost instantaneous that he realised his mistake. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell to the ground, stiff as a board, his eyes zooming around in their sockets trying to locate Ginny.

Taking a sigh of relief, Ginny got to her feet and shook off the glass. She magically repaired the lantern bracket and trying to ignore the scratchiness of her eyes she made her way back to the door she had been unable to open before encountering Malfoy.

"Alohomora," she muttered pointing at the door. Much to her delight she heard a click and she pushed the door open. But it didn't open very far until it hit something hard.

"Ouch," an angry voice muttered.

"Charlie?"

"Ginny? Is that you?" The door swung open and Ginny only needed a second to recognise her elder brother before flinging herself into his arms. Charlie wrapped his own arms around his sister and pulled her in tight, so unbelievably glad to see her.

"Ginny?" a second, equally recognisable voice sounded from behind Charlie.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Ginny questioned peeling herself away from Charlie before wrapping her arms around Harry's neck and planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"I was with Charlie, why are you here?" Harry asked after returning the kiss.

"I came to help. The healer said Hermione hadn't been found so I came to help Charlie, but I didn't know you were here as well," Ginny replied. She buried her face into his chest, taking in his distinctive spell of musk and green grass. Harry planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"Alright, you two. We've got something to do before you get all snuggly," Charlie coughed. Harry and Ginny split apart smiling.

"What happened to your eyes?" Harry asked, suddenly noticing her red and gunk filled eyes.

"Malfoy got me with the conjunctivitis curse," Ginny shrugged. "It's alright though. We've got more pressing matters to take care of."

"Come here, Ginny," Charlie instructed. Ginny turned around to face Charlie, who pulled out his wand and moved it in a complicated movement. Ginny felt her eyes water and began to blink it away. Within a few seconds they felt cleared and no longer so uncomfortable.

"I thought there was only a potion to counteract that," Ginny said as relief overcame her. She didn't know how much longer she would have been able to go with her eyes in that state.

"You get to learn a bit when you're working with dragons. We use that curse a lot if they're causing problems and I guess we somehow came up with a spell to counteract it rather than using the potion," Charlie said shrugging his shoulders.

"You said Malfoy hit you with that spell, Gin. Where is he?" Harry asked from behind her.

"He's just there. I hit him with the body-binding spell," she replied gesturing to Malfoy who was still lying still on the ground, his eyes watching the three of them. Harry smirked.

"I always told you you're better than you think," he smiled pulling her backwards into a hug. Charlie coughed loudly and raised his eyebrows.

"Right, now on to find Hermione." Charlie then led the way down the corridor, Harry and Ginny following in his wake. They walked for a few minutes, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs that may lead them to Hermione.

"Do we have any idea where she is?" Ginny finally asked as they came to the end of the corridor having had no luck. Charlie shook his head.

"The memory I saw in the pensieve showed her in the room Harry and I were just locked in but it looks like she was moved for some reason. No idea where though," Charlie groaned. He thought they had had a lead on where she may have been but now they were back to the drawing board.

"Charlie?" Harry questioned slowly, his brain working tirelessly.

"Yes?" concern evident in Charlie's voice.

"You know how this corridor was hidden through a trap door? What if there's another one somewhere else?" Harry asked. Realisation flickered across Charlie's eyes.

"You may be right, Harry."

"But where? It's not like there are any books hiding it this time?" Ginny enquired, voicing the question both Charlie and Harry were trying to answer.

"No idea, but we might as well have a look." The trio split up and began knocking at the walls, examining every crack in search for a clue. It wasn't for a good few minutes until Harry felt something odd underfoot. There were intermittent carpets along the corridor but this one seemed somewhat…bumpy. Curious, he knelt down and slowly lifted the carpet in anticipation. His heart was hammering and his breathing getting faster. His hands were sweating as he rolled back the carpet.

His breathing hitched as he saw exactly what they were looking for: some kind of hatch.

"Charlie! Ginny! I think I found it," he shouted over his shoulder. His hands were trembling as he reached out to flick open the latch. He felt Charlie and Ginny's eager breaths next to him as he carefully pulled open the trap door. As he carefully laid it down on the floor, Charlie lit his wand and the three of them peered through the door.

Charlie felt tears fill his eyes and the light at the tip of his wand caught a head of bushy, brown hair. They had found her.

 **(A/N: how was that? Hope you enjoyed it - please do leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Not much longer left :( )**


	23. Chapter 23

**Another chapter, I hope you enjoy it and sorry it's been a little while! Please leave your thoughts in a review - I really appreciate any comments to become a better writer!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 23**

Hermione felt the bright lights pierce through her eyelids so she squeezed them tight, anticipating exactly what would happen next. Her head was spinning, her whole body aching and throbbing. The last thing she could face was another beating. But she never heard the stomping feet coming down the stairs. She lay there, huddled at the bottom of the stairs, the cold stone relieving some of the pain of her hurting body. She heard someone come down the stairs and she pushed herself against the wall, getting as far away from the stairs as the cramped room would allow. The footsteps got nearer and she knew he was almost within touching distance.

Then a cold, calloused hand touched her shoulder she flinched away and made herself even smaller.

"No," she croaked, her voice hoarse and her throat dry and painful.

"Hermione," the voice came. But it didn't sound like his. It seemed more caring and comforting; almost recognisable.

"Go away," she rasped, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Hermione it's me," he said reaching out once again to touch her arm. But just as before, Hermione flinched away. She couldn't bare the thought of anyone touching her again.

"Please don't," she begged. Behind the closed eyelids she felt the tears sting her eyes.

"Hermione, it's me, it's Charlie. I'm not going to do anything. I promise." Charlie? The name ringed a bell in Hermione's head. But she couldn't quite locate it.

"Please. I beg you. Leave me alone, please." Hermione's voice was strengthening the more she spoke, her throat less tight.

"I'm not doing anything. I promise, Hermione. Open your eyes and look at me." Hermione shook her head. He was probably just lying to her. He just wanted to see the pain in her eyes. Hermione sensed him move his hand once more. But this time he just stroked a piece of her bloody hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She opened her eyes a slit and could just about make out a blurry face looking down at her.

She blinked her eyelids as quickly as they would allow, and with each blink, the face became less blurry and little more familiar. The mop of messy, red hair, the freckles across his nose, his brown eyes looking down at her filled with concern and worry.

"Charlie?" she asked meekly, her voice strained.

"Yes, Hermione. It's me, it's Charlie," he said grinning down at her. But Hermione didn't feel right. Yes, she recognised the name and she faintly recognised him but fear still radiated through her. She was still terrified; terrified that something may happen to her – her body shaking in fright.

"Just leave me alone," Hermione croaked as she hugged her knees into her chest and pressed herself against the far wall.

"I'm going to get you out of here Hermione, you're safe now. Just trust me," Charlie whispered, kneeling down next to her and resting his hand on her cold, naked shoulder. He stroked her shoulder with his thumb and Hermione felt warmth spread through her body, a feeling that almost felt comforting. A few moments later and Hermione sensed Charlie stand up and walk back up the stairs. It wasn't long until another set of footsteps came down the stairs.

"Hermione, it's me, Ginny. Will you let me put me cloak around you?" a soft, gentle female voice came from next to Hermione. Ginny; yes, she recognised the name, but why couldn't she quite pinpoint it? Hermione huddled against the wall but didn't object to Ginny wrapping her cloak around her body. It was the first time in a very long time Hermione had any kind of clothing on. She almost felt herself relaxing into the soft fabric.

"That's it 'Mione. You're all right. We've got you now. No one's going to hurt you, I promise." Ginny's voice helped calm Hermione down. She stopped shaking and her breathing began to regulate and her heart rate slowed down. She closed her eyes and felt completely relaxed. She smiled a little as she drifted into peaceful unconsciousness.

"Charlie! Something's up, we need to get her to St Mungo's now," Ginny shouted back up the stairs. Charlie hurried back down and carefully picked Hermione up. She was so slight and fragile; Charlie felt that if he gripped her even a little too much he would break her every bone. Charlie pulled her close to his chest his arms wrapped firmly around her tiny body as he hurried back up the stairs. They had to get out. Hermione seemed ok but he wouldn't be surprised if in reality she wasn't. She was in great need for help.

"Harry, lead the way out of here. And do it quickly," Charlie called up to where Harry was knelt watching down on them. Charlie took the stairs two at a time as quickly and carefully as he could, Ginny close on his heels. The trio were almost running back down the corridor. Harry turned a sharp right, back through the darkened corridor, his wand lit. They suddenly burst into back into the room filled with books, the mess looking just the same. Ginny slammed the door shut behind them, in the hope that if anyone happened to be following them they would have a little more time with the door locked. They were all somewhat surprised at how they hadn't run into anyone, especially Dolohov. But that didn't stop them. They manoeuvred themselves though the piles of books towards the door. Harry pushed it open and they entered the corridor.

"Do you reckon we can apparate from here?" Ginny asked, voicing the question both Charlie and Harry were also thinking.

"No, I tried to earlier," Harry answered. "We just need to get out of here and we'll be able to disapparate outside." Charlie and Ginny nodded and followed Harry back down the corridor to the top of the stairs. Charlie kept on glancing down at Hermione and getting increasingly worried at the lack of colour in her face. He also felt the cold radiate through her body, they really didn't have any time to lose.

They hurried down the stairs, avoiding all the missing chunks and began to make their way over towards the front door. Harry cast a spell to open the door before they got there. But as they approached, the door swung closed and locked with a click.

"Well…well…well, what do we have here?" a drawl came from behind the trio. None of them needed to turn around to know exactly who it was.

"Now, why are you all in such a hurry to leave?" No one answered him. They kept his back to him, hoping that just somehow they would get away from this. They could hear his footsteps getting closer and all their hearts start to beat faster, their breathing getting quicker and sweat appearing in the palms of their hands.

"I think we should all have a sit down and a nice chat, how does that sound?" Again they didn't answer but stood there, not moving a muscle.

"I'm sure we can think of better things we would like to do," Harry said, his voice unwavering. Charlie's heart was racing once again and his brain working in double time. He just couldn't think of a way to get out of this situation. Surely they were trapped. Dolohov had them and no doubt he had supporters coming to join him. They were going to be outnumbered and they had to get Hermione to St Mungo's very soon. Charlie looked down at her limp body in his arms and felt a few tears sting his eyes. He was so relieved they had finally found her but so worried at her state. He was just completely overcome with emotions.

"Charlie," Ginny's voice hissed from his left. He was about to turn his head to look at her but thought better of himself. She had spoken to quietly there was no way Dolohov would have heard her, let alone Harry who was just a few steps to his right.

"You go. Take Hermione. We'll hold him off," she said even quieter than before making Charlie strain his ears to hear what she said. "You'll know when." Charlie gulped. He really didn't want to leave his younger sister and her husband to fight Dolohov and Merlin knows how many more Death Eaters. But he had to get help for Hermione. Yes he was conflicted but it took less than five seconds to make up his mind. As soon as he got to St Mungo's he would make sure Aurors went back and helped Ginny and Harry.

"OK," he responded quietly. He felt Ginny tense next to him but didn't have any time to change his mind before it all happened in a flash. Ginny spun around and conjured a fire a few metres in front of Dolohov. Without thinking Charlie dashed for the door, which was blasted off its hinges as he approached it thanks to Harry's spell. He ran down the path, trying to ignore the flashes and bangs that were coming from inside the building and just praying that Ginny and Harry were fine. He pushed open the gate burst through and thinking of St Mungo's reception spun on the spot.

To his relief, he was squeezed through darkness spinning towards London whilst keeping a tight grip on Hermione. He suddenly landed hard on the stone floor and smiled as he took in the sight around him. Fortunately, due to it being the middle of the night the reception wasn't overly busy so he could make his way quickly and easily to the reception desk where he was once again directed to the fourth floor. He took the stairs two at a time, no being patient enough to wait for the lift to arrive.

It was a surge of relief that once again overwhelmed him when he recognised the short, stout Healer that was walking towards him.

"Charlie! What a relief to see you, please do follow me," he called upon catching sight of Charlie. Yet again, Charlie followed Healer Tonnishin winding through the corridors with no clue where he was going. They finally stopped in front of a door. Healer Tonnishin pushed it open and allowed Charlie to enter the small room. It was so small that only a bed, a chair and small table covered in machines and vials could fit. Charlie carefully walked over to the bed and placed Hermione down, rearranging the cloak so she could at least keep some of her dignity. It was at this time, in the brightly lit room that he caught sight of the dark bruises spreading across her body, the grazes and cuts covering every inch of skin. He felt sick looking down at the woman he loved and noticing what she must have gone through during the past days.

"If you wouldn't mind stepping outside so I can examine her," Healer Tonnishin's voice floated through the room. But it sounded so distant to Charlie. He couldn't hold back the tears that streaked down his cheeks. He bent down and carefully stroked a stray piece of hair off of Hermione's face, tucking it behind her ear. He just hoped that Ginny and Harry had been able to finish Dolohov off. He gulped and roughly wiped at his eyes before straightening up and leaving the room, not looking at the older man. His feet subconsciously carried him through the hospital, his brain not in the present.

Charlie had no idea where he was walking until he was suddenly surrounded by a face full of curly ginger hair. His arms lay stiff by his side, pinned into his body by his mother's arms. He felt her sobbing into his chest and squeezed his eyes tight in an attempt to control his emotions. But it didn't help. Coming across his mother and from what he could hear his father, Bill, George, Percy and Ron simply caused his emotions to overcome him. Even in Mrs. Weasley's arms his knees gave way and he collapsed to the floor. He felt her arms leave him as his whole body shook with sobs. He buried his head in his hands and let the tears spill freely. Form what he heard he assumed his family thought the worse.

Bill looked down at his younger brother, full of emotions. It was never like him to just let it out, especially not in public. He walked over and crouched down next to Charlie, putting his hand on his shoulder. He felt Charlie relax under his touch but the sobs continued.

"It'll all be alright Charlie. It may be tough now but you'll get through this, I promise," Bill muttered, ignoring his mother's even louder sobs from above him. He was surprised when Charlie looked over at him, his eyes red and puffy but a smile emerging from his face. Charlie shook his head ever so slightly.

"We…we got her," was all he managed, a tear still trickling down his cheek. Bill's heart skipped a beat. It had worked, after all of that they had found Hermione and they had saved her. He now understood Charlie's emotions as he too felt a few tears sting his eyes. To his further surprise, Charlie pulled him into a hug and together the two eldest Weasley children sat on the floor in each other's arms.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

It felt like a few hours until Charlie heard footsteps nearing him and Bill. He pulled away and rapidly blinked his eyes before standing up and turning around to see whom the footsteps belonged to. Once again he felt a tear in his eye when he saw the two beaming faces, each sporting a few cuts but both alive. He flung himself at the duo and heard a chuckle escape one of them.

"Alright, Charlie. Off you get, we can't breathe," Ginny said with a laugh pushing Charlie off of her and Harry.

"How? How did you get away?" he asked, a pang of guilt spreading through him as he suddenly remembered how he forgot to send some Aurors to help them.

"Oh, just a few well placed and timed bombarda charms," Harry said with a smirk. "But we of course had to wait to watch the house go down in flames. There's no way he's getting out of there alive." He added in a quieter voice to Charlie. Charlie beamed.

"Thank you. Thank you. You two are amazing," he said pulling them both into another hug.

"Ginerva Weasley, I have a bone to pick with you, young lady," Mrs. Weasley's voice came from behind Charlie. He saw Ginny's colour fade from her face and she gulped.

"If you, ever, do that again I promise you will be chained to the kitchen table," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, but everyone caught the slight twinkle in her eye. Ginny smiled meekly, not knowing quite how to respond.

"Is Hermione OK?" Harry asked, trying to break the silence that had fallen in the tearoom.

"I…I don't know. Healer Tonnishin is with her at the moment. Hopefully he'll be here soon," Charlie responded.

"I'm sure she will be fine. She will pull through and everything will go back to normal," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Of course she'll be fine, she's Hermione. No doubt she'll be drilling Harry and Ron in Potions tomorrow," a voice came from the door. Charlie looked over Harry's shoulder and saw Fred wheeling himself in, his leg propped up in his wheelchair. There was a laugh in the room.

"I mean it's probably true," Harry said with a chuckle.

"How's the leg, Fred?" Charlie asked, as Fred maneuvered himself into the room.

"Had I been any later it would have been amputated," he responded somberly. Charlie's face fell. What would he have done if Fred had lost his leg because of all of this, which had ultimately stemmed from his poorly aimed spell back at the Battle of Hogwarts. Fred obviously saw the expression on Charlie's face as he gave out a laugh.

"I'm only joking. It's fine. I'm just milking the use of the wheelchair. You have no idea how fast it goes in an empty corridor," he said the last thing quietly so neither of his parents could hear him. The children laughed at his comment though. The mood lightened inside the tearoom, both Fred and George were joking around. Charlie heard that Kingsley was recovering in his own bed at home, the injuries not as serious as they had initially thought. He also refused his mother's insistent comments to have his cuts looked over and to clean up. He didn't want to miss the moment when he would be allowed to go and see Hermione.

The sun started to come peek through the window when Healer Tonnishin appeared in the tearoom. In a matter of seconds a swarm of Weasleys and Harry were surrounding him, pressing him with questions about Hermione's welfare. Everyone finally stopped questioning him when he raised his hand.

"Hermione is doing OK. It is a bit touch and go at the moment. She had a brain bleed we had to take care off, many broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and punctured lung. She also had a broken wrist and dislocated ankle and along with extensive external bruises that seemed to be all the physical injuries. It's the mental ones we're more worried about. You can go and see her now, but just be warned she's not the Hermione you knew before this."

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review of your thoughts, they are greatly appreciated!)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's a new chapter - hope you enjoy it! Just a forewarning I'm about to start exams and then moving to Australia for a year for a placement so the next update may not be for quite a while! Please please please leave a review!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 24**

"Charlie, you should go and see her first," Ginny said as Healer Tonnishin left the tearoom. "After all she is your fiancé," she added in an undertone that only Charlie could hear. Charlie gawked at her, how on earth did Ginny know the one thing he hadn't told anyone?

"I'm not an idiot," she whispered with a smirk, tapping the edge of her nose. Charlie rolled his eyes and made a mental note to question his sister about it later on. He turned his back on the rest of Weasleys and Harry and hurried out of the tearoom and followed the elderly Healer back downstairs and through the winding corridors to the room Hermione now occupied.

"Charlie, before you go in I just wanted to apologise for everything that I did and the pain that I caused you to suffer. I never meant it and would never have done anything if I had the ability not to. I am so sorry, and I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me." Healer Tonnishin turned around and Charlie could tell by the look on his face he truly was sorry.

"It's OK. I know you didn't mean it but we've made it through to the other side so everything's alright now," Charlie said, reaching his hand out. "No hard feelings, eh?" The healer smiled as he reached out and took Charlie's hand. He then turned around and hurried back down the corridor, leaving Charlie standing alone outside Hermione's room. For some reason he felt nervous. Healer Tonnishin's comment "she's not the Hermione you knew before this" kept on replying through his mind. How much had she changed? In what way? Surely it must be temporary? Charlie sighed deeply, trying to control the fear that was spreading through his body. But it wasn't just fear, he was angry. Angry at Dolohov for planning everything. Angry at his followers for doing whatever they did. But the angriest at himself for taking so long to find and rescue her. But he had to be strong for her. Hermione was going to need to him and to help her heal, he need to stay strong. One more deep breath and Charlie pushed open the door and entered the darkened room.

It took a few seconds for Charlie's eyes to adjust to the dark but when they did he took in his surroundings. It was a different room to the one he had left her in, bigger and airier. The mid-morning sun was streaming in through a large window below which sat a table, littered with potions, various metal contraptions and heavy books. Next to the table was a large bed that swamped the small frame lying underneath the covers. Charlie's feet carried him over to the plastic chair on the other side of the bed and he sat down with a thump. He felt the chair creak underneath him but paid no attention. He looked over at Hermione and once again felt tears sting his eyes, a large mixture of emotions, relief, anger, sadness and happiness to name a few, radiating through his body.

He reached out and carefully pushed a piece of hair off her face and behind her ear. His finger traced a large scar running down her cheek. It was the first time since finding her under the trap door that he was able to really take in her appearance. From what he could see, his blood was beginning to boil. How could someone do what Dolohov had done? Charlie didn't even feel guilty at how much he wished Dolohov had suffered in the fire, there was nothing he deserved more than to painfully suffer. Charlie just sat there; stroking Hermione's face wiling that when she woke up she would be OK. He mulled over everything from when to tell the rest of his family about his fiancé to how best to keep this all out of the Daily Prophet.

Charlie didn't realise quite how long he had been sitting there until the door slowly opened and he looked up. His neck cricked from being in the same position for so long. He wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw Harry and Ginny walk into the room, a small smile crossing both of their faces.

"Mum said there shouldn't be more than two or three with her at once, don't want to overwhelm her," Ginny said, catching sight of the slightly confused look on Charlie's face. He nodded but turned back to Hermione. Harry and Ginny summoned two chairs and sat down opposite Charlie. Harry felt a wave of sadness and guilt spread through his body. He felt like he had let her down. He hadn't been able to protect her and it took them too long to finally find her. He knew something was up after hearing about the "event" at Hogwarts and was furious at himself for not doing anything. There was obviously something up with Hermione and he never reached out to help her. She was practically his sister and yet he had let her suffer in silence and then it was Charlie who had finally been the one supporting her, not him. He was never there for her and now seeing her in the state he didn't think he would ever be able to forgive himself. He just sat there and prayed that everything would be OK, even if it wasn't today or this week and it took Hermione months to heal, he didn't care. He would be there for her this time and would help her with everything until she was fully better, even if that was years down the line. Ginny would understand, Harry knew she would. He believed she would probably be thinking the same.

But Ginny wasn't. Yes she was angry at herself and just like Harry would spend every minute helping Hermione but there was a part of her that was simply proud of Hermione. She had gone through so much and just judging by the injuries they hard heard about and seen Ginny was so proud of her sister to not give up and to continue fighting. She felt weird to be feeling proud and felt it wasn't the "right" emotion but what Hermione must have faced and how she was so strong to make it through definitely made Ginny feel proud.

The trio sat there as the early morning sun slowly came through the window, the only movement being Ginny, who rose to open the curtains, and the only sound of Hermione's occasional rasping breaths. But during the hours they just sat there, praying for Hermione to get better, her heart never stopped beating, she never stopped breathing and by the time Healer Tonnishin came back at 9 am to check her vitals he announced that it wouldn't be too long before she woke up.

"Charlie, you should really get cleaned up. Hermione may react badly if the first thing she saw was blood, cuts and bruises," Ginny finally said, after clearing her voice a few times after not using it for a while. Charlie didn't even move. "Charlie? Did you hear me?"

"Hmmm…"

"I really think you should clean up," Ginny repeated, looking caringly at her favourite brother.

"I…I can't leave her,' he finally croaked, his eyes not leaving her face.

"You can get cleaned up in less than 5 mintues. I will come and get you as soon as there's any sign of her waking up, I promise," Ginny said.

"It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Charlie. This all started 2 years ago, it was going to happen at some point," Harry pointed out, somewhat shocked about what Charlie had just said.

"But I let it happen. My spell was off and it made the wall fall. I wasn't there was she was taken. I didn't protect her. I left when I found out; it took me a week to start trying to find her. I should have been so much better," Charlie said. He didn't turn to face either of them but from their angle they could clearly see the tears spilling from his eyes. "How am I meant to be her husband when I can't even protect her now? She came to me for help and I failed her. She suffered through all of this because of me. It is my fault and I don't know how she could possibly forgive me." Harry sat there in silence, stunned. But what hit him the most was Charlie's comment about being Hermione's husband. He must have misheard. He was about to open his mouth to ask but received an elbow in the ribs from Ginny.

"Not now," she mouthed, obviously very aware of what Harry was about to ask. Harry nodded and stayed quiet.

"Charlie, listen to me. So what if your spell went wrong? You were in the middle of the battle, it could have been so much worse. She could have died right there and right then and not be with us now. That would be worse. At least now you both have the opportunity to live a life together. A life that will be filled with love, passion and joy. A life that wouldn't have been possible if she had died during the battle. You're associating all of this to when it started; to when you were aware it started. But everything was building up to it. Like Harry said it all began two years ago at the Ministry. I was there; we all thought she was going to die then. But because she's Hermione she pulled through. And because she's Hermione she's pulled through every time these past weeks and she'll get through this. It might take a while but we'll all be there.

"She never believed it to be your fault beforehand and I can tell you now she is definitely not going to think it was your fault now. You were the one to save her. You were the first person she saw. You are the only person in the world who thinks this all happened because of you. It happened because of Dolohov two years ago, because of Bellatrix a few months ago and again because of Dolohov these past weeks – not because of you. Please, Charlie – you may not have protected her, but Dolohov was going to get ahold of her somehow regardless of what you did. You just need to be there for her while she recovers. It's going to take time but she'll get there. She'll get there because of you; because of the unconditional love you have for her, because of just how much you're going to protect her. Charlie, you only think it's your fault because of how much you love her and how there's a part of you that thinks you're not going to get her back, but you will Charlie. You will be together again, I promise," Ginny told him full of sincerity.

Harry couldn't hold back a stray tear that escaped his eye listening to what his wife was saying. What Ginny had said was so true. Charlie was only thinking this because of how much he wanted to be with her. Charlie looked up and over to his sister, the edges of his lips turning up in a small smile.

"I guess you're right," he muttered quietly.

"I know I'm right. I always am," Ginny smirked and Charlie couldn't help but chuckle. "Now, please for the love of Merlin go and get cleaned up. You absolutely stink and that's probably why Hermione hasn't woken up." Charlie let out a laugh but clambered to his feet and gingerly walked to the door and entered the en-suite bathroom.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"You said she'd be awake soon. That was 6 hours ago, why isn't she awake now?" Charlie demanded of the healer later that day. Harry and Ginny had been replaced, first by Ron, Fred and George, then by Bill and Fleur and now Molly and Arthur were occupying the seats opposite Charlie when Healer Tonnishin entered the room.

"I thought she would be. Her vital signs were getting so much stronger and her brain activity was increasing, all indications that she would wake up soon," Healer Tonnishin said sadly.

"Is there anything you can do?" Mrs. Weasley asked from her chair.

Healer Tonnishin shook his head, "Nothing, it's like last time. We'll just need to wait and see what happens." He then cast a few more spells over Hermione's body.

"She's looking even stronger than before, there's really no reason why she shouldn't be waking up soon."

"There isn't something else wrong with her, is there?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"It doesn't seem like it. The diagnostic spells don't seem to be picking anything up," Healer Tonnishin responded morosely. "I'll come back in another couple of hours to check on her." Charlie slumped back into his chair, his shoulder hunched and his eyes dark.

"Don't worry about it Charlie. She'll be fine," Mrs. Weasley said upon catching sight of her son's behavior. But her words weren't exactly what Charlie wanted to hear.

"But what if she isn't? Everyone here is going on and on about how she'll be fine. She was badly hurt, she was abused – physically, mentally and I wouldn't be surprised if also sexually. How is she going to be fine? No one could possible think of what she's been through and yet everyone's saying it will all be OK. But it won't be. It never will be. It will take her years and years to get over all of this, but she may never pull through. So, if all you're going to say is how she's going to be fine then I don't want you here so just go home," Charlie said, his voice get louder as he practically shouted the last sentence. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged a look and after saying a hasty goodbye hurried out of the room. They both knew Charlie was hurting and he just needed time. They would give him time. They would go home and come back in the morning. He needed their support just as much as he needed Hermione and they weren't about to let him suffer by himself.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

It was well into the night when Charlie was stirred from his doze. He couldn't bring himself to fully sleep in case something happened and he needed to get a Healer or something but the later it got the more he started to doze. At first it was just the covers moving ever so slightly. But it slowly began to get faster and Hermione starting turning her head from one side to another. It seemed to Charlie that she was trying to fight away from something. He felt another pang of guilt as he began to realise what she was trying to fight.

And then, just as suddenly as the movement had started, it stopped and Hermione once again lay motionless in the bed. But a few moments later and her eyelids began to flicker. Charlie sat there with bated breath. The next few minutes would tell him a lot about how the next days, weeks and months would pan out. He just prayed that it wouldn't be too bad. But how could it not be bad? After what she had been through, there was no way Hermione would be just fine.

It was a few minutes before Hermione's eyes opened fully and she turned to head to look over at Charlie. Charlie looked down at her and smiled. It took a moment before she reacted but when she did Charlie was convinced the corners of her lips turned up into a small smile.

"Hey, you," Charlie said, his heart filling with love.

"Hey," Hermione croaked, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything?" Charlie asked, a smile not leaving his face.

"Some water please." Charlie stood up; but in the process of standing up the scraped loudly across the stone floor. Hermione shrunk into the bed, her face going white and a look of terror crossing her face. A tear began to trickle down her cheek.

"Hey, hey it's OK 'Mione. Everything's OK. It's just me; I'm not going to do anything," Charlie said, taking a few steps closer to the bed.

"No, please, just leave. Please go," Hermione whimpered, shrinking even further into the bed.

"Hermione, love. It's me. It's Charlie. You're safe now," Charlie coaxed. He went to reach out and stroke her face but thought better of himself and rather stayed where he was.

"Just leave me alone. Please, I beg you, just go," Hermione begged, tears falling from her eyes faster now. Charlie opened his mouth to say something but caught himself. What ever he said he wouldn't make anything better. Blinking away a few tears he slowly turned around and headed out of the room.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She has made it through. But she was confused. She knew who he was. But how was he here? How come she could see him, hear him and understand him? What was going on? Hundreds of questions whizzed around Hermione's brain as she fell into an uneasy sleep, raided with disturbing memories.

On the other side of the door, Charlie slid down the wall opposite, staring hopelessly to the door. What was he going to do? He had tried so hard, or as hard as he gave himself credit for, to find her and save her but now she just wasn't right. He knew she was never going to be the same, but a part of him still blindly believed she would OK. But now it was all real; so very real.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Charlie? What are you doing out here? Is everything OK?" a voice floated through Charlie's fuzzy brain and he awoke with a start. He blinked rapidly and looked up to see Bill looking down at him with a concerned expression. Charlie rubbed his eyes and it took him a few seconds to understand what was going on and to remember the events from earlier that night.

"It's fine," Charlie said morosely looking down at his feet. He felt, rather than saw, his brother slide down the wall next to him and sit on the floor. He looked up when he felt a hand on his knee. He looked straight into Bill's eyes and Bill looked straight into his. In that moment there was a complete feeling of understanding and knowledge that often occurred between the two of them. It wasn't like the telepathic means of communication Fred and George shared but they had always understood each other from a very young age.

"I know the last thing you want to hear is someone else telling you that she'll be fine so I'm not going to. But Charlie just hear me out. I noticed something change in you the day of the battle when Hermione got hit by the wall. You changed for the better. And as Hermione got better, you got more cheerful and more yourself. It's been a while since you were the Charlie I knew before you went off to Romania and I think Hermione was making you be you again. I can't even begin to think how you feel right now with the thought that you may not be with her again but I know that the pre-Romania Charlie would make it through this. I know the new Charlie will make it through as well. At the end of the day Charlie, Hermione is the one who has been through it all and she's going to turn to you for help to move on. So you need to be there for her and you most certainly can't be sitting in the hall outside her room," Bill finished with a smile and patted Charlie's knee. Charlie didn't need to turn his head to know Bill was watching him with concern.

"She thought I was him," Charlie muttered quietly. Bill sat there, mulling over the comment for a few moments.

"Are you surprised though? She'd just woken up; she must have been so confused. It was dark and no doubt the room she was in would have been dark a lot of the time. She saw someone, what else would she have been expecting?" Charlie could have slapped himself when Bill said all this. It was so obvious now that Bill had mentioned it. But there was just one thing going through his mind.

"But she recognised me not a minute earlier."

"Hmm…that's a bit odd but isn't that surprising if you think about it. She's probably very confused about everything and what's going on and didn't understand what happened. She may have thought you were a dream or something, who knows. Or maybe when she thought you were him that was a dream or a memory or something. You can't just assume anything straight away."

"I guess you're right," Charlie said with a slight smile. He heaved himself off the floor, his muscles aching from sitting in such a bad position for much of the night and carefully pushed open the door. It was still dark inside the room, the curtain doing a good job at blocking out the early morning light, but Charlie could see the gentle rise and fall of the bed covers. He smiled to himself as once again he took his seat ned to Hermione's bed and reached out to take her hand.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review with your thoughts thank you!)**


	25. Chapter 25

**A new chapter for you all - apologies it's been a while! I've moved to Australia for a year so it's all a bit hectic and updates may be few and infrequent so apologies but thank you to everyone sticking by me and reading it all! Please let me know your thoughts in a review**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 25**

Charlie awoke from his doze a few hours later from the voice he so desperately wanted to hear say his name. It took him half a second to register who had called his name but after his eyes adjusted to the lightened room and caught sight of her looking up at him his face broke into a smile.

"Everything OK?" he asked. Hermione began to nod her head but stopped suddenly and grimaced.

"You never got me that water," she responded with a slight smirk. Charlie chuckled but summoned a glass and jug filled with cold water. He took the glass and slowly leant forward and tipped it against Hermione's lips. But lying on her back caused some problems and soon the water had poured out of the glass but down her chest rather than into her mouth.

"I think a straw may help," Hermione said with a giggle bringing up her hand attempting to wipe at the stain. Charlie blushed slightly but nonetheless summoned a straw and topped up the glass. The second time was much more successful and after Hermione had slurped down two glasses she slumped back against the pillow, her eyes closed. Charlie put the glass and jug down on the table and resumed his place on the old, creaking plastic seat. A peaceful silence filled the room.

"You know you don't have to stay here all the time," Hermione said after a while, turning her head to look at Charlie with her dark brown eyes. There was no twinkle present but Charlie was convinced he saw some hope in them.

"I know, but that's not going to stop me," Charlie replied with a smile. He reached out and took her hand in his. "I've missed you, you know."

"I missed you more," Hermione said with a wink causing Charlie to chuckle.

"Not possible," Charlie said with a smirk and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You know you have clean clothes at The Burrow right?" Charlie raised his eyebrows at his fiancé.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked.

"It's just that they kinda smell quite a bit," Hermione smirked.

"I'll get mum to bring me something."

"No you can't. Charlie you need to go home and have a shower. You probably haven't eaten or slept in a while. Go home for a bit and eat some proper food and sleep for a while," Hermione said, her eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine," Charlie said, a little harsher than he intended and watched as Hermione cringed at his tone. "Look, I've spent weeks without you –"

"And you've got years to come with me. I'm sure you can spare a couple of hours at home. It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon either," Hermione responded, her voice strengthening as she contested Charlie's comments.

"Ugh, OK I guess it wouldn't do me any harm."

"That's more like it," Hermione said, the corners of her mouth twitching to a smile.

"I'll be back in time for lunch. If I'm going to bed you can sure as hell get some rest too," Charlie said getting to his feet, his legs stiff from sitting on such an uncomfortable chair. He made a mental note to transfigure it into something a bit more comfortable when he returned.

"Honestly, Charlie what else do you expect me to do?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"I can't say I would be surprised if you whipped out a book from under you pillow right now," Charlie said with a smile. Charlie bent down her give her a quick kiss on the forehead but he was stopped when Hermione shrunk further into the pillow, her eyes filling with tears and her body beginning to shake.

"Please don't. Just leave me alone, I beg of you. Go away, you can't do anything anymore." Fear was spreading across her face and tears started to spill more freely down her cheeks. Charlie backed away, confused but without saying anything he left the room and headed towards the fireplace in the main reception and flooed back to the Burrow.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Charlie! What are you doing here?" Ginny asked from the sofa as she spotted Charlie emerge from the fireplace. But Charlie ignored her and went straight to the stairs and headed up to his room. He kicked open the door and collapsed onto his bed, every kind of emotion filling him to the brim. He pulled the pillows in frustration, he let out a shout of anger but then the tears began to spill. He had thought she was going to be fine, but obviously that was silly of him. She was never going to be fine, not after what she had been through. But why was she fine some of the time and not others? It didn't make sense that one second she was fine, almost smiling and then next she was terrified and scared. It didn't make sense.

There was a soft knock at the door. Charlie rolled over so his back was to the door and didn't say anything. Another knock and he was about to tell whomever it was to go away when he heard the door open and footsteps cross the wooden floor to his bed. Whoever it was didn't say anything but rather just sat down on his bed and rested a hand on his shoulder. He could tell by the size of the hand that it was Ginny who had followed him upstairs.

They stayed there in silence, Charlie letting his tears spill freely surprising himself at how much he appreciated his sister's company.

"I don't think I need to ask if you're alright do I?" Ginny finally asked breaking the silence that had built between the two of them. Charlie shook his head. He wiped his eyes and turned around to face his sister.

"And I don't think I'm going to waste my energy telling you everything will be fine because although I know it will be you're probably fed up by everyone telling you that," Ginny said with a smile. Charlie couldn't help but let a small smile escape his lips. "But are you going to tell me what's wrong because if I were you I would be ecstatic right now."

"I'm more than ecstatic and there are moments when I feel like I'm getting the old Hermione back. But there's just as many moments when I'm reminded what she's been through and I just don't think she's ever going to be the same," Charlie responded with a sigh.

"Of course she's not going to be the same, Charlie. You and I both know that. We have no idea what she's been through and of course she's not going to be the same. It's like saying Harry would be exactly the same after everything he went through in killing Voldemort or Bill after his attack by Greyback. But we've just got to be there for her, make sure we can get her to trust us again. We'll get there, it may take time but we'll get there. She knows who we are, she's comfortable with us we just need to work out what's going on in her head so we can help her," Ginny said.

"I get that, and I keep trying to tell myself the same thing but it's just hard you know. We're going to be together for the rest of our lives and it's tough to see her struggle like this," Charlie sighed.

"Talking about which. When were you going to tell us about your engagement?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows at her brother. Charlie just shrugged.

"I dunno, probably when we knew she was all fine. In the grand scheme of things it's not such a big deal is it though?"

"I would probably disagree with you there, it is a pretty big deal," Ginny huffed. "And mum will flip when she finds out you've kept this from her for so long."

"I kinda want to do it properly though, it was a little rushed the first time and then maybe I guess I could tell everyone. I'm assuming you're the only one who knows. And mentioning that, how did you know? I thought I agree with Hermione not to tell anyone," Charlie pondered.

"I have my ways," Ginny winked.

"But no, Hermione didn't tell I just worked it out," she added when she saw Charlie open his mouth.

"You always seem to know everything," Charlie said with a chuckle. "How's the wedding planning coming along?"

"It was quite slow because of everything but we've got a date now for 3 weeks on Saturday. No doubt I'll sit down with mum in a bit to work it all out. Although I won't be surprised it her wedding planner's already full with all the details," Ginny finished with a laugh.

"Oh, I reckon she's had it all planned since before you could walk."

"You're probably right. Well I'm going to leave you now to catch up on some sleep, after you have a shower, because something makes me think that's why Hermione sent you back," Ginny said standing up and heading over to the door.

"Ginny," Charlie called out as Ginny reached the door. Ginny turned around to face her brother. "Thank you." Ginny smiled and pulled the door shut behind her. Charlie slumped back against his pillows and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was asleep, dreaming of his future life with Hermione.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

A few minutes after Charlie left Hermione, Healer Tonnishin entered her room to find her sitting up staring blankly into space.

"No visitors? I don't think I've ever seen the room empty," he said with a little chuckle as he made his way to Hermione's bed. She shook her head, still not taking her eyes away from a spot by the door.

"I made them all go home," Hermione replied simply. Healer Tonnishin nodded his head.

"Alright if I check you over?" he asked. Hermione just nodded but now closed her eyes and leant back into the pillow. She lay there motionless as Healer Tonnishin got to work, muttering words and waving is wand in odd patterns, various lights appearing and disappearing in different forms.

"So everything seems to be looking much better. There's no reason why you can't be heading home by this weekend I reckon," Healer Tonnishin said with a smile.

"Really? Not even this?" Hermione asked her eyes opening in surprise. She pushed down the covers and lifted up the gown exposing a nasty green and purple gash spreading down her right side. It was oozing some kind of orange sap that did not smell very healthy.

"Hmm…there was no indication of this from the spells nor from our initial assessment," Healer Tonnishin said thoughtfully as he slowly leant in closer to examine the wound. He waved his wand in an even more complicated pattern than before but nothing seemed to happen. The elderly healer then summoned a small vial and by resting it next to the gash he was able to fill it half up with the fluid.

"I'll get this analysed by our pharmacist Healers and let you know what they find. I won't do anything to heal it quite yet as I have no idea what it is to do with. Are you in any pain or anything?" he asked.

"Yes, a bit," Hermione admitted. Healer Tonnishin nodded. He took the few steps over to the table that was laden with potions and pulled a small, round vial filled with a pink fizzing liquid.

"Here, have some of this. It should help take off the edge. You may feel a quite sleepy though," he said handing Hermione the vial. Hermione took it gratefully and drank it quickly. Almost immediately she felt her eyelids go heavy. She managed to hand the healer the vial and thank him before her head hit the pillow and she was asleep.

"Good, that should help," the old healer muttered to himself. He put the empty vial back on the table and left the room to hand the vial of sap to the analysts to find out what that nasty gash was all about and why it hadn't been there the day before or why it didn't come up with any diagnostic spells.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie woke with a start a few hours later. It took him a few minutes to work out where he was and what he was doing at home. He then remembered the events of last night and that morning and heaved himself out of bed. He was feeling a lot better after sleeping for a good amount of time and in a bed. It was the first night in a few weeks that he hadn't been troubled by nightmares and he felt considerably more refreshed than before. He trudged down the stairs to the kitchen ready to satisfy his grumbling stomach with a large plate of his mother's chilli con carne he could smell wafting up the stairs.

"Good sleep?" Ginny asked as he appeared in the living room. Charlie nooded not making any effort to say anything but rather headed straight for the kitchen, where he found his mother, father and Bill sitting at the table bent over something that was laid out on the table. Charlie felt his heart sink as he caught sight of the bold title that headlined The Daily Prophet.

 _Minister injured, Aurors dead, Hermione Granger near-death in attack on Death Eaters._

"Looks like they found out about the fight then?" he asked from the doorway. The trio looked up with a start and Charlie was able to examine their faces. His mother's face was full of concern; his father was worried whilst Bill was merely confused.

"We can't work out how," Bill admitted.

"It's The Daily Prophet, what else do you expect? They manage to find out everything," Charlie admitted pulling out a chair and sitting down. "What does it say?"

"Not much, they obviously don't know much about what happened. They just mention that Kingsley was injured but appears fine, there were deaths of some Aurors, many Death Eaters defeated and that Hermione is very ill and probably going to die soon," Mr. Weasley said pushing his glasses further up his nose and wiping away the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"But Hermione's not going to die," Charlie pointed out, spooning some food onto a plate.

"No she isn't but if you saw her yesterday morning you would probably assume she would," Mrs. Weasley added. She wiped her hands down her apron before turning to the oven and pulling out three large loaves of garlic bread.

"I should probably head to the office, try and clear as much of this up as I can," Mr. Weasley announced.

"Stay for some lunch, dear," Mrs. Weasley tried to argue.

"I can't Molly. The sooner I find out what's going on and sort it out the better and the fewer owl's we're going to get from Order members and public interrogating us and Harry about Hermione." Mr. Weasley added the second part as he caught sight of a number of owls heading towards The Burrow.

"I'll come with you," Charlie said standing up, ignoring his food. "I need to speak to Kingsley." Charlie no longer felt hungry but rather in the need to see the Minister of Magic, not just to check that he is ok but also to ask him some questions." Neither Bill nor Mrs. Weasley made to stop Charlie, who followed his father from the kitchen, heading straight outside to apparate to the ministry.

Less than 10 minutes later, Charlie found himself standing outside the all too familiar doors that would allow him to enter Kingsley's office. He reached out his hand and knocked loudly. A few moments of silence and just as Charlie lifted his arm up to knock again the door opened and he found himself standing face-to-face with a heavily bruised and heavily scratched Kingsley Shacklebolt who was leaning on a cane.

"Charlie! Do come on in," he beamed flinging the door open wider and beckoning for Charlie to take a seat at one of the sofas. Charlie took a seat on the one nearest the door and waited to the minister to limp toward the sofa opposite. Kingsley lowered himself with grimace.

"How are you doing?" Charlie asked once the minister had made himself comfortable.

"I've been better but I was very lucky," Kingsley admitted. "I hear Fred took another nasty spell to his leg, how's that?"

"Oh it's fine, he's just milking it quite a bit, would expect nothing else from him though would you," Charlie responded with a laugh.

"And everyone else doing well?"

"Yes, apart from a few scars and probably quite a few mental ones everyone seems OK."

"And Hermione, how's she doing?"

"Well, I guess," Charlie shrugged nonchalantly. The two just sat there as silence filled the room until Kingsley broke it a few minutes later.

"Something's on your mind, Charlie. What is it?"

"The truth is there's so much I don't really know where to begin," Charlie confessed.

"Start with what's troubling you the most," Kingsley offered as he leant back against the sofa and looked carefully into Charlie's eyes.

"When Hermione first woke up she seemed OK, she knew who she was, who I was and it seemed fine. And then all of a sudden she didn't seem herself. She was scared and told me to leave her alone and not to do anything. I don't know it just seemed as if she thought I was him but we'd just had a conversation. And then the next time she woke it up she was fine and then it happened again. It's almost as if her brain's in some kind of cycle or something," Charlie said thoughtfully. It felt odd to say it all out loud but as he did it was beginning to dawn on him that really her actions weren't entirely surprising.

"Judging by that look on your face I think you're realising something," Kingsley said with a slight smile.

"I guess just voicing my thoughts has made me fully realise that maybe there is a part of her that does genuinely think I'm him. I think I just need to work out what I'm doing to make her so scared," Charlie responded thoughtfully.

"See, you didn't even need to come and see me."

"But you made me voice that and make me realise. Although Bill and Ginny, and everyone really, have been so supportive and helped with it all but I don't think I would have fully realised it with them," Charlie admitted.

"Sometimes you just need someone a little older and a little wiser," Kingsley said with a chuckle, that reminded Charlie all too much of his headmaster.

"I guess," Charlie muttered, looking down at his feet.

"What is it Charlie?" Kingsley asked, his eyes now losing their spark and looking serious.

"I just feel so guilty and like she just doesn't deserve someone like me," Charlie mumbled, his voice quiet.

"Charlie, don't be so ridiculous. I know that you've had this conversation with your family and if you need me to reiterate what they've all said then so be it but everyone knows you are not at fault whatsoever. You've done everything you could possibly have done; right from the very beginning when you were the one to help her before it all began. You were always there from her and she knows it, I promise," Kingsley said, a fierce look in his eyes. He was right, Charlie had heard those words many times before but it hadn't stopped him from feeling some kind of guilt. She had still suffered because of him.

"I should never have left her in the first place. I knew he was after her and I shouldn't have left her," Charlie said.

"How were you to know he would take her while she was in St Mungo's? How were you to know he would use the Imperius Curse on healer? How were you to know any of this was going to happen? Charlie, you didn't know what would happen so really stop blaming yourself, you've done nothing wrong," Kingsley said beginning to sound fierce. Charlie nodded. He was beginning to understand the fact he didn't do anything wrong but knew it would be a while until he fully accepted it.

"Also, how did The Daily Prophet find out about it all?" Charlie asked after a few moments trying to change the subject.

"Now that is a good question. I'm not entirely sure but I reckon someone may have bugged my door and overheard my conversation with Amelia Bones. Something wasn't quite right with the lock and I just had an odd feeling that entire meeting but nothing I could do. I guess they were going to find out at some point," Kingsley added with a shrug.

"I didn't read the article, but I'm going to assume it wasn't entirely accurate."

"I can't say I read it either, I gave up after the first paragraph of nonsense," Kingsley said with a chuckle. Charlie smiled and then sat there in silence. He had one more question but wasn't entirely sure how to go about asking it. Thankfully, Kingsley solved his problem.

"You have something else?" Kingsley questioned, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"The marriage law –"

"Ah, yes. That thing. Unfortunately I haven't been able to overturn the decision despite trying everything I could," Kingsley said his voice saddening.

"That's OK, I'm sure you tried everything you could have done. I assume the Ministry got my letter?"

"Hmmm…I do recall something coming up. Ah yes, you and Hermione. I must offer my congratulations," Kingsley reported, a smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you. I know the time to get married is…well, very soon. And so I was wondering, given everything –"

"You would like an extension of some sort?" Kingsley asked.

"If that would be possible," Charlie said wishfully.

"I can't say I can guarantee it but I'll see what I can do," Kingsley said with a smile.

"Thank you, Kingsley."

"Your welcome, Charlie. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Not right now, thank you. No doubt something will come up though," Charlie smiled. Charlie stood up from the sofa and made his way towards the door. "I hope you heal up soon and really thank you, for everything."

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Charlie went via Oxford Street on his way back to St Mungo's to pick something up for Hermione. He pushed open the door to her room and was glad to see her sitting up in bed, reading a book no less.

"I knew you couldn't stay away for too long," he said with a chuckle. Hermione looked up from the tome and beamed when she saw who it was.

"It's actually a fiction book this time," she said with a smirk as Charlie walked over to the bed where he was able to see that she was reading _Little Women_.

"Again? You must have read that at least a hundred times," Charlie pointed out.

"And? It's such a classic," Hermione responded marking her place. Charlie just laughed as he sat back down onto the uncomfortable plastic chair.

"Let me guess, you've never read it."

"You would be correct," Charlie responded hanging his head a little.

"Well I've got another copy you can borrow," Hermione said, a slight twinkle appearing in her eyes. Charlie chuckled.

"I look forward to it." The couple sat there for a few minutes, each mulling over their own thoughts.

"Charlie?" Hermione finally asked breaking the silence.

"Yes," Charlie responded from the chair, his eyes almost closed in peace.

"Can you lie here with me please?" Hermione asked tentatively, shuffling her body across the bed.

"I would love to," Charlie said, his eyes opening and filled with excitement a bit like a young child on Christmas day. Charlie stood up and climbed onto the bed next to his fiancé. He rested his arm on the pillow and Hermione nestled into his chest.

"I've missed this," she whispered.

"Me too," Charlie admitted and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. The couple lay there for a while unmoving, slipping in and out of consciousness. And to no one's surprise it was how the Weasley's found them later that evening.

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed it, definitely not my favourite, quite a bit of a filler chapter - just a few more chapters left :( please leave a review!)**


	26. Chapter 26

**New chapter, it's quite long but hoping you enjoy it :)) please leave your thoughts in a review!**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 26**

It was the early hours of the next morning when Hermione awoke with a searing pain in her right side. She let out a shout causing Charlie to jump up. He saw the fear and the agony in Hermione's eyes and felt his heart sink. The tears began to fall out of Hermione's eyes, her body shaking.

"Hey, hey you're OK. It's fine. What hurts?" Charlie consoled, slowly running his hand through her hair. Hermione shrunk into the bed, her face full of a combination of terror and discomfort. She closed her eyes and her breathing began to speed up and get shallower. Charlie continued to soothe her until she managed to get her breathing under more control. Reaching down Hermione pushed down the blanket and pulled up the hospital gown to show Charlie that gash.

Charlie had to stop himself from gasping out loud. Having not seen it earlier he was surprised to see the cut, which was now even worse than it had been before.

"Hermione love, that's not looking good. Do I need to get a healer?" Charlie asked softly, peering down to have a closer look.

"It's worse than earlier," Hermione choked, her voice thick with tears.

"Right, I'm going to go and get a healer. I'll be back in a few minutes," Charlie said, his voice stronger. He gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before turning on his heel and heading out of the room in search of a healer. Fortunately Charlie hadn't even made it down to the end of the corridor before he bumped into a younger healer.

"Hi, I need your help please," Charlie said as he came across the healer. The healer turned around and smiled at the Weasley.

"What can I help you with?" he asked. Charlie felt a calming aura radiate from the healer and already felt that he would be able to sort Hermione out.

"It's Hermione, she's got a really bad cut and she said it's worse than before," Charlie said quickly.

"OK, let me grab a few potions and I'll be with you very soon," the healer responded. Charlie nodded and turned back to Hermione's room.

"Has the pain got better?" Charlie asked when he sat back down on the chair next to Hermione's bed.

"A little," she said, her voice quiet and timid.

"A healer's on their way. Is there anything I can get you for now?"

"Just some water please. With a straw this time." Charlie chuckled as he summoned a glass of water and a straw. Hermione was just finishing off the glass when the young healer entered the room, some vials levitating behind him.

"Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley. I'm Healer Fellows, nice to meet you both. I treated Fred and Ginny and the other Weasleys the other day so it's nice to see you both. How may I help you at this ungodly hour?" the healer asked, but he had a large smile and Hermione felt more relaxed around him that she had ever felt around Healer Tonnishin.

"Please, it's Hermione," she started, her voice still weak. She then proceeded to show Healer Fellows the cut on her side and whimpered as he gently pressed on the area around it. The healer continued to examine the gash for a while, casting a number of diagnostic spells and muttering to himself constantly.

"Right, so this is a little mysterious. But what I gather is that it's something called an _Exitialius Consaucium_ ,which roughly means a fatal wounding." Hermione's heart sank upon hearing those words. She had heard of this before and less than 3% of those diagnosed with it survived.

"So does that mean what I think it does then?" Charlie asked, his face white.

"Yes, and no. In the past an _Exitialius Consaucium_ would almost definitely result in death but there are a number of reasons why I reckon the chance of this happening is less than 10%. Firstly, although this looks bad we have actually caught it very early and with the major progressions in healing I can get you on a potion within the next four hours that will help with the pain and stall its progression. There's also a new antidote that has come through, a complicated spell but fortunately for you I am one of about seven healers in the world who is able to perform it successfully. If you can give me about six hours to get everything sorted I can perform it and we can get you on the road to recovery," Healer Fellows explained. Charlie and Hermione both nodded, the fear still evident in their faces but feeling a little more confident about the prognosis.

"How did she get this though?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not entirely sure if I'm honest, it's becoming more and more rare. If I'm correct in thinking that the original curse was a made up one then my only thoughts must be that it was a planned side effect. But like I said, there's no reason to worry for now. It may continue to hurt quite badly and you may begin to feel more drowsy and nauseous though," the young healer clarified.

"I have one question though. How come Healer Tonnishin didn't identify it earlier? I mean it's a well known thing, I've heard a lot about it so surely it's relatively easy to detect," Hermione asked.

"He didn't recognise this? That's very surprising, someone as smart and high up as him would easily diagnose this. I shall have a word with him later. For now though have a rest and I'll be back in a few hours to give you a potion. Is there anything I can get you now?"

"I'm alright thanks," Hermione responded lying back onto the pillow, letting her eyes close. The healer gave her a smile and bidding them farewell he left the room if what looked like a hurry. Charlie looked back down at his fiancé and could feel the tears stinging his eyes at how weak and feeble she looked. Her breathing had slowed and Charlie knew she had gone back to sleep. Charlie quickly transfigured the plastic chair into something more comfortable and collapsed into the armchair. He reached forward and took Hermione's hand, letting the tears fall more freely as he rested his head on the edge of the hospital bed.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"But she'll be alright?" Ginny asked very concerned later that morning when Charlie had headed back to The Burrow for breakfast and to explain Hermione's situation to everyone.

"I hope so," Charlie said truthfully, sending a quick prayer that everything will be fine.

"How's she doing?" Mrs. Weasley queried after a silence had filled the room for too long.

"She's alright. I think she's in quite a bit of pain right now so she's just trying to sleep it off until she can get that potion Healer Fellows mentioned," Charlie explained trying to rid the image of Hermione lying helplessly, swamped by the bedcovers from his mind.

"Healer Fellows will sort her out," Harry said from the far corner.

"I always thought something was funny about Healer Tonnishin." Bill voiced something that everyone in the room had thought at some point in the past months.

"There was always something off about him," Ginny agreed.

"For someone with as much expertise as he has, there's no excuse for not diagnosing Hermione," Mrs. Weasley added thoughtfully.

"Well, we can't dwell on it now, we've just got to thank Merlin that Healer Fellows caught it and when he did," Charlie said. Silence fell in the kitchen of The Burrow as everyone finished their breakfast. But it wasn't the nervous kind of silence that had previously filled the room; it was more peaceful and calming. Obviously they still had a long way to go but there was more hope filling the room.

A little while later Charlie left the rest of his family to go back to St Mungo's. Everyone had decided to come and visit at lunch to see how the potion was working. When Charlie arrived in Hermione's room he was glad to see her sitting up her face with much more colour than when Charlie had left.

"Hello, you," Hermione said with a smile when she saw who it was that entered the room.

"Someone's looking brighter," Charlie said, taking a seat in the armchair. Over the past few days the bruises had faded and the cuts become less obvious. She was still thin and weak looking and had barely stomached any food but even the aura she gave off had improved. Charlie's heart skipped at the thought that if everything were to be successful she would be home soon.

"Healer Fellows gave me the potion about an hour ago and I feel a lot better already," she explained.

"You sound awfully chipper for someone who found out what you did last night," Charlie said seriously.

"I've suffered too much these past few weeks and I don't want to waste anymore time worrying about what might happen. Healer Fellows said that that's unlikely so I might as well start living life," Hermione said with a sigh. "And so I was just looking at all of these." Hermione pulled back her blanket to show Charlie a large pile of muggle magazines.

"Oh. Right. I see. You're taking this quite seriously then," Charlie said feeling lost for words as he read the titles, _Bride & Groom, Bride to Be, Tying the Knot _to name a few.

"I don't really have a choice, Charlie. We've got, what like 3 weeks or something. I don't think I've left something of this size to plan this late," Hermione said, picking up the top magazine and flicked to her page. "Plus Ginny asked me to find a potential bridesmaid dress for her wedding to Harry.

"About that. I spoke to Kingsley yesterday and he's going to try and get an extension as such until we have to get married," Charlie said sitting forward and picking up a magazine as well.

"Oh that's good to hear but we still don't long. I was also wondering when you're planning on telling your family," Hermione said not looking up from the magazine.

"When _I'm_ planning on telling them?" Charlie questioned emphasising the first person.

"Well they're your family," Hermione pointed out.

"Hmmm. Maybe _we_ should tell them," Charlie said stressing the we of the sentence.

"Maybe. We'll see," Hermione muttered flicking the page. The couple sat there in silence, flicking through the magazines, bouncing ideas off of each other and Hermione making pages and pages of notes.

About an hour later, there was a knock on the door and Healer Fellows walked in.

"It looks like the potion's working then," he said with a smile seeing Hermione sitting up and reading.

"Looks like it," Hermione said putting down the magazine.

"Can I quickly cast do some diagnostic spells please?" Healer Fellows asked. Hermione nodded and Healer Fellows promptly waved his wand in the usual complicated motions. It had been enthralling Hermione and she was now very aware that healing was what she wanted to do after she completed her NEWTs in a couple of months.

"Right, everything seems to have stabilised. I am a little concerned about your white blood cell count though so will bring you potion in a bit to help with that. As for the spell, everything should be set in two hours we just need to make sure the moon is in the right position," Healer Fellows said. Charlie felt a rush of excitement at the thought that in three hours Hermione should be alright. There was still some apprehension on whether it would work and clearly there was potential for it not to work but Charlie had faith in Healer Fellows, a lot more faith than he had ever had in Healer Tonnishin.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

About an hour later, a number of redheaded Weasleys piled into the room.

"So she's decided to grace us with consciousness then," Fred said with a wink.

"She has a name," Hermione said indignantly upon seeing who had graced them with their presence.

"And she seems to still have her temper," George muttered, but not quietly enough and received a glare from the three girls, Hermione, Ginny and his mother.

"How are you doing, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, trying hard to not say something to his son.

"As good as I can be at the time," Hermione responded with a weak smile. Charlie reached out and took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The room filled with noise as everyone began bombarding everyone with questions and statements. Without anyone realising Hermione had laid back and closed her eyes, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

She was back in the dark room, huddled against the far corner. She felt every muscle ache and every joint hurt. Blood had dried on her body and in her hair and she shivered in the cold. The door opened with a bang and light filled the room. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut praying it wasn't him and pressed her back against the wall as hard as she could. She was shaking uncontrollably now, but not due to cold but the fear that filled her and over took her entire body.

"Now, now, now. What shall we do today then?" the malice voice came from the door. The footsteps got louder as he crossed the room and reached her. She sensed him come to a stop and knew he was looking down at her frail body.

"Please, no more," she whimpered.

"I'm sorry did the mudblood just say something?" he asked. There was a chuckle from somewhere else in the room and she knew it wasn't just him today.

"I thought I told her not to say anything," he said with a sneer and kicked her in the throat. The tears spilled out of her eyes and she pulled her knees in tighter to her chest. She felt more kicks in the legs and the arms making her sob in pain.

"Shall we get on with what you're here for then?" he asked and stopped the kicking. She shook her head, refusing to open her eyes. He just laughed and kicked her some more. It wasn't long before she gave in, the pain too much. She let out a scream as he uncurled her.

"No. No. No. Please no. Stop it. I beg you. Stop it," she shouted out.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Hermione! Hermione, wake up. Hermione love, wake up. Its just a dream." Hermione's eyes flew open and she saw everyone looking at her with concern. The bedcovers were all over the place and her eyes were wet with tears. She took one look at everyone before the emotions overtook her and she started shaking with sobs. She curled up into a ball and closed her eyes, trying to forget everything; the tears falling thick and fast down her cheeks. Somewhere she heard someone telling everyone to leave the room. She felt the mattress sink under her and someone pull her towards them. The familiar smell of fire, mud and toothpaste spread over her and felt a calming presence wash over her. She was still shaking with sobs but Charlie had wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Shh. It's OK. Everything's OK. You're fine now. You're safe. You'll be alright," he whispered, stroking her arm and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

The couple lay there for what felt like hours. Hermione had been able to calm down and drifted in and out of consciousness whilst Charlie held her tight. It wasn't until Healer Fellows appeared an hour or so later did Charlie loosen his grip a little.

"I'm afraid it's going to be now or never if you're ready," he said as both Charlie and Hermione turned their heads to see who had entered. Charlie felt Hermione gulp.

"What…what does it entail?" Hermione asked, her voice quiet and weak.

"So first I'll give you a potion for the pain and then I'll put you to sleep. I'll then perform the spell and you should wake up in five to six hours. We'll know straight away whether it worked or not as the gash should disappear almost immediately," the healer explained pulling out a couple of vials and putting them on the table near the bed. "I'll have to ask you to leave though Mr. Weasley, just as a precautionary measure." Charlie nodded and detached himself from Hermione, who looked on the verge of tears.

"Hey, everything will be fine. You'll be absolutely fine, you're in such good hands and I'll see you in a few hours," Charlie said wiping at the tears with his thumb. Hermione nodded, still looking unsure.

"I've had 100% success rate and I have no plan in changing that any time soon," Healer Fellows said, which made Hermione visibly seem better.

"How many times have you done it though?" she asked, sitting up a little.

"You'll be the 9th," he responded in a very matter of fact tone. Hermione managed a small smile.

"See, you're in perfect hands. I'll be just outside. See you soon." And with a kiss on her forehead, Charlie left the room feeling a lot more nervous than he had given off. Truth-be-told he was terrified. But there was nothing he could do; nothing at all. This was the only cure and if Healer Fellows didn't do it then Hermione would definitely not survive. Charlie decided to head off to the tearoom to grab a coffee as means of keeping himself busy.

Back inside the room, Hermione had taken the two potions she needed and was now sleeping calmly as Healer Fellows set about setting up all the last little things. He had to make sure the bed was positioned in the correct way, there was the right amount of sunlight entering the room and the moon could be seen from where Hermione's head was. Once he was satisfied everything was exactly where it was meant to be he picked up his wand in his left hand and a small vial filled with an emerald green liquid that had a needle attached to one end and stoppered at the other. There was a very short amount of time between finishing the spell and ensuring the liquid entered her blood. His hands were shaking. He was a lot more nervous than he ever had been when performing this spell before. He took a deep breath and envisioned success.

The healer waved his wand in an extremely complicated movement, whispering to himself as he did so. Hermione began to glow and a golden light surrounded her. It glowed brighter and brighter as the wand movements got faster and the whispering turned more into chanting. And then Healer Fellows stopped talking and his wand laid still. The golden light disappeared, which meant he had less than 10 seconds to insert the potion into her blood. He found a vein in her left forearm and plunged the needle in and ensured the vial emptied.

30 seconds went by before the young healer waved his wand once more and said, 'Malus medeorium." There was a flash of gold light once more, which disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared. Healer Fellows gave it two minutes before he peeled back Hermione's nightgown and let out a sigh of relief. The gash had faded, leaving just a long, thin pink scar that would likely never go away. He applied a salve to the raw looking edges before checking her vital signs. Satisfied that his work was complete he moved the bed back to where it belonged, open the curtains to let in the sun and left the room.

He barely managed to shut the door before he was bombarded by questions from Charlie. The healer chuckled and held up his hand to quieten than man.

"It worked. She's going to –" but Healer Fellows didn't manage to finish his sentence as he was engulfed in a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Charlie said after letting go of the healer.

"That's quite alright. She's sleeping now and will do for a while. I will come and do hourly checks on her but everything's looking good. If everything goes according to plan she should be out of here by Friday." The healer was thanked and hugged once again before he was able to head back to his office where he collapsed into his chair feeling completely drained.

Charlie entered Hermione's room and rather than taking the seat he had occupied most of the past week he climbed into bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. In her sleep she rolled onto her side and buried her head into his chest and they lay there, Hermione sleeping peacefully and Charlie thanking Merlin he still had a fiancée.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Four hours passed. Six hours passed. Twelve hours passed. Twenty-four hours passed. Even forty-eight hours passed and Hermione had still not awoken and Charlie was beginning to feel sick with worry.

"She's fine. Her vitals look good. Her heart's beating strong. There are satisfactory brain waves so I have no idea why she's not waking up," Healer Fellows said morosely as he completed this 50th check in the past 48 hours. Charlie's shoulders fell. He felt drained. He hadn't slept and hadn't eaten for a day now. But that was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted answers. He wanted to know what was happening. The Weasleys and Harry had taken turns keeping Charlie company some, like his mother, trying to get him to go home for sleep and food, whilst others, like Bill, just sat in the corner simply there for the company. It was Bill, Harry and Ginny's presence Charlie appreciated the most and each time had made them all stay longer than their designated hour.

"Surely there's something you can do. What about an awakening potion?" Charlie asked.

"Already tried it. I've tried everything I can. I think our only hope is just to wait." Charlie sighed.

"Can you get another opinion?" he asked not tearing his eyes away from Hermione.

"Of course. I'll go and get Healers Smythe and Grove and see what they can do." Charlie just sat there, his mind blank and eyes unseeing. He wasn't even aware that Ginny had come in to take over from George.

About half and hour later Healer Fellows returned this time accompanied by two more senior looking Healers who Charlie recognised from when he first talked about Hermione a long while back.

"Good afternoon, Charlie. Would you mind if we have a look?" the first healer asked, who Charlie suspected with Healer Smythe if his memory was correct. Charlie nodded and the three healers huddled around the bed on the opposite side to Charlie and began muttering to each other and waving their wands around emitting a range of coloured lights. A few minutes later the first healer turned to him with a saddened expression.

"I'm sorry to confirm Healer Fellows earlier comments but we just don't know what's going on. There is no trace of the _Exitialius Consaucium_ so that has been sorted. There are no other signs of any illness or infection. Her white blood cell count is back to normal limits and she seems to be fine. We have performed our most powerful diagnostic spells but to no avail. Sorry, Charlie but I think the only answer here is just to wait and see and reassess in a few days if there are no changes." Charlie felt a few tears fill his eyes but he just nodded and thanked the healers for their time. The three healers left the room and Ginny walked around the bed to perch on the arm of the chair Charlie was sat in and leant against him.

A few moments later, Charlie was aware that his t-shirt was damp on the shoulder. He turned his head to see silent tears fall down his sister's cheeks. For the first time in 24 hours he let go of Hermione's hand and stood up and took his sister in his arms. Ginny shook with silent sobs, this time wetting the front of Charlie's shirt. Charlie rested his chin on the top of his head.

"She'll be fine. I know she will-" Charlie began but was interrupted.

"I agree," a weak voice came from the bed. Both Charlie and Ginny spun around to see Hermione smiling up at them.

"You're awake! How long have you been awake?" Ginny asked rushing to her side.

"Long enough to confirm my suspicions you're both cry-babies," Hermione said with a slight smirk. Charlie let out a dry laugh but took her hand in his and kissed her gently.

"Thanks for scaring us," he muttered, taking his seat once more.

"Just need to keep you on your toes," she responded.

"Can we get you anything?" Ginny asked.

"I would love some water please Gin. Oh and a straw, Charlie learnt that the hard way," Hermione added with a chuckle at the memory. Charlie grinned, thrilled that Hermione had finally woken up. After Hermione had finished two glasses of water, Ginny announced she would tell Healer Fellows and then the rest of the Weasleys the good news leaving Charlie and Hermione to themselves.

"Will you lie here with me?" Hermione asked, her voice still weak and her eyes heavy. Charlie smiled and climbed into bed next to his fiancée.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

Hermione made a good enough recovery over the weekend that there was talk she may be able to go home on Monday afternoon. Charlie hadn't been this excited since he watched Bill get married just under a year ago. He had also been told that there was no rush for him and Hermione to get married and that some of the conditions of their married were made more lenient due to everything that had happened to Hermione.

Hermione and Ginny had spent a lot of Sunday wedding planning and they had somehow been able to get all of Madam Malkin's wedding dresses up to Hermione's room for Ginny to try on and decide on one there.

"So we're down to these last four then," Hermione sighed pointing to the four wedding dresses hanging up on the wall, the others back on the rail in their wrapping.

"I'm not keen on that one though," Ginny said pointing at the one that had an overly frilly skirt.

"Good, because I hate it," Hermione said.

"Why didn't you say something then?" Ginny asked shocked as she packed it away and hung it with the other rejects.

"Because you loved it so much," Hermione muttered quietly.

"Hmmm...I think I'm going to try them all on again and see which one fits better." It took a further 30 minutes to whittle the decision down to two: a simple, sleeveless one with a sweetheart neckline that was rather tight around the bodice but flowed elegantly to the floor and a lace one with long lace sleeves and a high collar that was a lot more restrictive.

"I love them both, Ginny, but if you want my honest opinion then I think you should go with that one," Hermione said pointing at the one on the right.

"Good, because I think I prefer that one too," Ginny said with a smile.

Hermione awoke on Monday morning with a fever so it was decided, much to Hermione's frustration, that she would stay for an extra 24 hours just to make sure she was absolutely fine before leaving the watchful eyes of Healer Fellows. It confused everyone why Healer Tonnishin hadn't appeared in a week but they didn't press the topic. They were all somewhat relieved and Healer Fellows seemed to be looking after Hermione a lot better.

Tuesday had meant bridesmaid dress shopping for Hermione, Luna and Angelina – Fred and Angelina had reignited their school crushes since the marriage law had been passed as Angelina was a half-blood and so forced to marry before the summer was out, but as Hermione was confined to St Mungo's for another day they did their dress shopping in her room. Hermione was worried about it though and she expressed her worries on Monday morning a few hours before the girls were due to arrive with piles of dresses.

"Charlie?"

'Hmm," he responded not taking his eyes away from _Seeker Weekly_.

"I don't know how to tell her," Hermione admitted.

"Tell who what?" he asked, putting the magazine to the side and looking Hermione in the eyes.

"Tell Ginny that I don't think I can be a bridesmaid let along her maid-of-honour," Hermione said quietly as if she was embarrassed.

"Why do you need to tell her that?" Charlie asked, confused.

"Because I don't think I can do it."

"And why's that?"

"I haven't stood in months let alone walk and I don't want to make a fool of myself if I can't make it up the aisle," Hermione said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You won't make a fool of yourself," Charlie assured her. "Plus we can solve the standing and walking thing now. You've got, what 10 days until the wedding. That's definitely enough time to get you back on your feet."

"I don't know Charlie. I don't think I can." The tears started to trickle down her face.

"OK, so we think of something else. Maybe you don't do the walking up the aisle bit," Charlie said. "We'll be able to sort out what works best for you."

"But I don't want to be that bridesmaid drawing attention to themselves by not doing what a bridesmaid meant to do," Hermione said sadly.

"But you're not a bridesmaid. You're the maid-of-honour. They can do something different. Who said they have to walk up the aisle in front of the bride and stand at the top during the ceremony? Where are those rules written? We can do whatever makes you feel comfortable, Hermione. And Ginny will absolutely heartbroken if you even suggest it. I think she's more excited about you being there and being a part of it than she is actually to getting married," Charlie told her, perhaps a little more sternly than he had intended.

"I guess," Hermione sniffed.

"That's my girl," Charlie said, leaning in to give her a kiss. The door burst open and Ginny entered carrying a bag, which she promptly began to empty of shoes and jewellery.

"Luna and Ang are on their way with the dresses," she announced.

"I shall leave you girls to it. I'll be at home if you need anything," Charlie said. He planted one more kiss on Hermione's forehead, gave her the 'don't forget what I just said' look and left the room.

"Gin can I ask you something?" Hermione asked from the bed, propping herself up a bit more.

"Of course."

"I know this is going to be silly. And I really don't want to be a pain. But can you do me a favour?"

"I guess it depends on what it is," Ginny said with a smile, sitting down on the end of the bed.

"Can you make sure that whatever I wear covers all of this?" Hermione indicated at all the scars and bruises across her shoulders, arms and legs. Ginny looked at her best friend and in that moment seemed to understand everything. She understood that Hermione was worried about going back into the real world. She was scared that she would be taken again. She was scared of pretty much everything.

"Of course. But you know they can be covered with magic as well," Ginny said with a smile. Hermione smiled back at her.

"I know, but some of these can't be. I've hidden all the rest already," Hermione said despondently.

"You mean those aren't all of them?" Ginny asked, her face going pale. Hermione nodded.

"Well then, looks like it's long-sleeves for all then," she said sincerely. "And Hermione, if you ever need to talk to me, day or night, you know I'm here for you even when we're 100 and ancient."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione managed weakly; her eyes filled with tears.

"Right, here we go," Angelina announced as she and Luna appeared in the doorway, both pulling large racks of clothes.

Ginny immediately went over to the racks and cast a spell over the dresses, ensuring that there were none on the rack that didn't have long-sleeves. Hermione was her best friend who'd she'd just lived without for far too long and she would do anything for her and if that meant all her bridesmaids wearing sleeved dresses then so be it.

 **(A/N: hope you liked it! I reckon we've got 1 more chapter, maybe 2 at a push and maybe a epilogue so not much but please leave a review - I appreciate every single one so much!)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Here's the final chapter of the story :(( I hope you've liked it and a huge thank you to everyone who's read it, to everyone who's left reviews - I hope you enjoyed it as much I as I did writing it. I'm going to write and epilogue for you though so stay tuned! Please leave your final thoughts for this! I'm thinking of a potential sequel but unsure yet. As always reviews = love!**

 **-HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

 **Chapter 27**

Hermione was able to leave St Mungo's Tuesday lunchtime on strict order that if her fever came back or she experienced any kind of pain she would return to see Healer Fellows. She was laden with five different potions to take each day, which she wasn't entirely pleased about.

"Right, I think it's time we get you home," Charlie said entering Hermione's room after just signing her discharge papers. He was shocked, however, to see that she was still in the hospital gown and had rolled onto her side. From where he was standing he was able to see the tear stains down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked soothingly as he crouched down next to the bed looking her straight into her eyes.

"I'm scared, Charlie. I'm scared that it's all going to happen again. I don't feel safe, especially when I'm alone," she whispered, her tears wetting the pillow.

"It's OK to be scared. You've been through so much; so much more than any of us could ever imagine but you've got to believe me when I say nothing like that is ever going to happen again. You are never alone. You have me, you have Ginny and Harry and everyone with you. You will be safe at The Burrow, and trust me you won't be leaving my sight for a very long time," he finished but was somewhat put off by her lack of a reaction.

"I feel like such a burden," she muttered almost inaudibly.

"Hermione Jean Granger, never think that you are burden. You are anything but a burden. You are the best thing that ever happened to me or to the family, ever," Charlie said, reaching out and wiping away her tears.

"I just…I just want my family," she said, her body beginning to shake with sobs. Charlie was about to say something but then a flood of realisation hit him. He had to try extra hard to not let his eyes well up and made a mental note to visit Kingsley the next day. He climbed into the bed and held Hermione close as she cried. It hadn't even crossed his mind. Everyone in his family considered Hermione to be family that he it had slipped his mind she wasn't. She had her own family and all she probably wanted was some love from them.

It was about an hour later when Charlie stumbled out of the fireplace at The Burrow holding Hermione tight to him. He slowly guided her to the sofa allowing her to get used to being back on her feet. She collapsed onto the sofa, pale and exhausted from the few minutes of exertion. Charlie tucked a blanket around her as her eyes closed and she fell asleep. He heard noises in the kitchen and decided to find out who was around.

"I've told you enough, we're not having a Christmas cake as our wedding cake," Ginny said with a loud groan. Charlie couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's a shame. I would have thought a Christmas cake would work well in July," Charlie said entering the room to find the table covered in a huge array of cakes and Harry and Ginny glowering at each other across the table.

"Shut up Charlie," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"I would have thought choosing a wedding cake would be quite simple," he said ignoring his sister. Charlie sat down and helped himself to the nearest cake.

"That's grim by the way," he said making a face of disgust. With a wave of his wand it disappeared.

"Um…was that really necessary?" Ginny questioned.

"Look you've got, what, at least 15 cakes here and you need to decide. I'm helping you by telling you what the bad ones are," Charlie said with a shrug of his shoulders taking a mouthful of a chocolate one to his right. "That's a good one."

"I thought we heard a conversation about cakes," a voice came from door. Charlie turned around to see Fred and George framed in the door.

"Charlie, when did you get back? Where's Hermione" Fred asked taking a seat next to his brother.

"About five minutes ago. She's on the sofa, did you not just see her?" Charlie questioned curiously, a plummeting feeling in his stomach.

"She's not there," George said, his face going pale as he sat down opposite of Charlie.

"But I left her there just now," Charlie said jumping up to his feet and rushing back into the living room. The twins were right; Hermione was no longer on the sofa, which now just occupied the blanket he had given her. He started to panic. He had left her for not even three minutes and she was already gone.

"Hermione! Hermione! Hermione, love, where are you?" he shouted looking around the room. Those in the kitchen came bursting into the living room upon hearing Charlie's shouts. They all began to frantically search around the house for Hermione but it wasn't until Charlie had made it to the first floor did he hear her scream. His heart racing, Charlie bound up the few stairs to the bathroom where the screams were coming from. He tried to open the door, but to no avail. It was locked.

"Hermione? Hermione, are you in there? Hermione, love please open the door," Charlie begged once the screams had subsided. Charlie heard a shuffling and then the lock clicked. He pulled open the door and was met with Hermione huddled in a tight ball shaking with sobs. Charlie collapsed to his knees and pulled Hermione onto his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her trembling body.

"Hey, everything's fine. Everything's OK. You're safe now. I promise nothing's going to happen to you. I've got you. Deep breaths. In and out. In and out," Charlie soothed rubbing her back in circles. After a while Hermione calmed her breathing and just lay there comfortable in Charlie's arms.

"Charlie are you al-oh, is she OK?" Charlie turned around and saw Fred standing in the doorway.

"I think so," Charlie said sadly.

"Do you need anything?" Fred asked.

"I think we're OK, I'll let you know if not," Charlie said.

"Righto, we'll be downstairs if you do need us." Charlie sat there with Hermione for a little while until she sat up and leaning against the bathtub she faced Charlie.

"How are you feeling?" Charlie asked reaching over and pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.

"I've felt better," Hermione responded.

"What happened? Why are you up here?"

"I needed the toilet and then I slipped and hit my head. I…I felt like I…like I was back," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, it's OK. You're safe now. You're never going back," Charlie said shuffling over and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I know that, but I can't help it," Hermione said as she leant her head on his shoulder. Charlie felt her tears wet his shirt and he squeezed her tightly.

"I know you can't help it but we're going to get through this. We're all here for you and we're going to help you get over this, whether it takes a week, a month, a year or even longer you're going to get to the other side, I promise. I promised everything was going to be fine and everything will be fine. You're safe here and nothing's going to happen to you," Charlie said. Hermione sniffed and nodded her head ever so slightly.

"It was awful, Charlie. I wanted to die. I've never felt so much pain in my life before."

"I know but you're safe now. You got through it and nothing will happen to you, I promise."

"Please never leave me," Hermione whispered into his shoulder. That short comment made Charlie well up.

"I will never, in a million years, leave you," Charlie promised as he planted a kiss on the top of Hermione's head.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked as he sat down on the end of Hermione's bed later that day.

"Honestly, I feel like crap both physically and mentally," Hermione said as she put down the book she was reading.

"I'm not surprised. You've gone to hell and back and I would be completely shocked if you were fine right away. But you're Hermione and you're going to get better and you will be fine in no time at all," Harry said squeezing her hand.

"You're not the first to have said that," Hermione responded with a slight chuckle.

"And I won't be the last," Harry said with a smile. The two friends sat there in content silence for a while.

"How's the soon to be married Harry Potter feeling then?" Hermione finally asked.

"Very excited but obviously worried about the future. I mean how can I not be? I love Ginny to pieces and I couldn't be happier but it all just seems to be happening too quickly for my liking," Harry said honestly.

"I think that's totally understandable. I mean you're getting married what a few days after your 18th birthday and you've got no opportunity to turn back."

"But what about you, have you and Charlie set a date yet?" Harry asked eyeing his best friend carefully.

"What?"

"Charlie may have let it slip you guys are engaged," Harry said with a smirk.

"Oh, right. Does everyone know then?" Hermione asked wondering if that's why Charlie wouldn't give her a set answer on when to tell his family about them.

"No, just me and Ginny," Harry said and Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good." Another silence filled the bedroom before Harry interrupted it,

"Hermione, what is that you're reading?" Before Hermione could hide it, Harry snatched the book from the table.

"You're not. You need to rest and reading this isn't resting," Harry said disapprovingly as he saw just what she was reading.

"But I've lost so much time and am so behind on where I need to be to do well in the NEWTs in August," Hermione complained.

"Hmm, I'm not going to waste my energy arguing but just make sure you know I don't think this is the best idea," Harry said.

"I get that but I can't do badly and I don't have very long at all," Hermione said sadly, tears filling her eyes

"You've got over six weeks, surely you can give yourself just one week to recover some more. I mean look at you, there's nothing of you and you're barely eating or anything. It's not healthy and you need to take it easy for a while," Harry said. "Plus, think how big a fit Charlie will throw if he knows your working." Hermione let out a slight chuckle.

"I guess, maybe I'll give it an extra few days but I just don't want to fail," Hermione said.

"Wow, I can't believe Hermione Granger just accepted the suggestion not to work," Harry said with a laugh.

"Maybe I've changed more than we thought," Hermione responded. "Is Charlie around? I think I need to speak to him."

"No he's not at the moment, he had to rush off to see Kingsley at the Ministry about something. He should be back fairly soon though."

"Oh, OK. Thanks Harry. Can you send him up when he gets back?" Harry nodded and took the question as his permission to leave. When she heard the door click shut Hermione turned onto her side to face the wall, the tears in her eyes wetting the pillow.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

When Charlie got back from the ministry an hour later he thought he had stepped out of the Floo at the wrong fireplace. The Burrow had been transformed into a bridal shop. It was official, Ginny and his mother had gone over the top obsessive with the wedding in 10 days. He could barely manoeuvre between the tables, flowers, lanterns and everything else they had filled the room with to get to the kitchen where he heard voices.

"You've got to be having a laugh." Charlie heard Ginny's voice waft through the door.

"Of course not," one of the twins replied.

"We want to do it," the other said.

"Please little sis," the first one begged.

"We want to help."

"They'll be amazing."

"We promise."

"Umm…really? Can I really trust you?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

"Of course you can trust us," one of the twins said, shocked.

"Debatable." Charlie heard his father mumble from somewhere else in the kitchen. Charlie couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"How are the twins trying to ruin the wedding?"

"They want to be in charge of the fireworks and decorations," Ginny said with a grump.

"And why wouldn't you let them do it?" Charlie asked taking a seat at the table and pulling a slice of cake towards him.

"Because it's the twins," Ginny grumbled.

"We can hear you, Gin," Fred said pointedly.

"Come on, Ginny, you know they're not going to do anything to ruin it. Let them do it," Harry said.

"Fine." Silence fell in the kitchen as everyone ate various pieces of cakes before Mrs. Weasley asked Charlie what Kingsley had wanted.

"He heard about the Healer Tonnishin situation and felt it was quite suspicious so looked into it." Charlie looked around the room and found everyone looking at him with bated breath, ready for their suspicions to be confirmed or not.

"So with a bit of research, Kingsley found that he was born Oblansk Eslebahn. He had been a supporter of You Know Who in the First Wizarding War and had been involved in various muggle torturings but wasn't an official Death Eater. He was sentenced to years in Azkaban but somehow was bailed, was on some kind of house arrest until he proved he had changed or whatnot. He became a Healer, changed his identity and was no longer on the watch list in the Ministry. And then recently he started to misdiagnose people, people started to die from diseases they shouldn't have and he was working minimum hours, so quite a few alarms. There's nothing they can do about it though at the moment but they are going to keep an eye on him now to see what happens next," Charlie explained. No one spoke, unsure how to react.

"Wow, so he may have not told Hermione about her wound thing on purpose?" Fred voiced the question that was worrying everyone the most.

"I guess," Charlie shrugged. Charlie had been shocked when Kingsley had filled him in but had somehow come to terms with it. Had the outcome been different he knew he would be wanting much stronger action but he was fed up with the whole situation and just wanted to move on and put it all in the past.

"There was always something dodgy about him. I hope they're able to find out exactly what's going on," Ginny said.

"And I hope no one else suffers because of him," Mrs. Weasley added. Another silence filled the room as they all sat there mulling over the new information about Healer Tonnishin.

'You can't tell Hermione though," Harry said quietly ending the quiet.

"No, absolutely not. The poor girl's been through too much and that's the last thing you can tell her," Mrs. Weasley added. Charlie was shocked by the intensity of her voice and at how strongly she felt.

"I wasn't planning on, at least not now," Charlie admitted. He had thought about it, of course he had, but he had known within a few minutes that if he were going to tell her he was going to wait for a while.

"Good," Mrs. Weasley said, somewhat tartly.

"That reminds me, Hermione wanted to see you when you got back, Charlie."

Charlie headed up the stairs and quietly pushed open the door into Ginny's room. It was dark inside but he could see the slow rise and fall of the bedcover. He made his way over to the bed and was surprised to see the tear stains on Hermione's cheeks. A pang of sadness overcame Charlie so he climbed into the bed next to her and gently wrapped his arms around her slight frame. He could almost feel her smile in her sleep making him feel somewhat better as he slipped into a doze, only to be woken about 20 minutes later by Hermione beginning to thrash around and letting out shouts.

"No. No. No. Go away. Just leave me alone," Hermione whimpered.

"Hermione, love, wake up. You're safe, Hermione. It's just me, Charlie. Everything's OK," Charlie said, trying to wake her up. Hermione woke with a start and sat up, shocked. It took her a second to realise what happened and crumbled onto Charlie, tears streaming down her cheeks. Charlie held her tight, running his hand through her hair.

"It's OK. It was just a dream. You're safe now. Everything is OK," Charlie soothed.

"I'm…sorry," Hermione sobbed.

"What for?" Charlie questioned, confusion evident in his voice.

"I'm being pathetic," Hermione hiccupped.

"Hermione. You are not being pathetic. Please don't ever think you are because you are a hundred different things but pathetic is most certainly one of them. You've been through so much, that none of us can even dream of and it's going to take a while to get through it. But like I've said before, you're going to make it and I'm going to be here for you the entire time. So please don't ever think you're pathetic for crying after a bad dream," Charlie consoled. It hurt him so much how bad Hermione was struggling and would do anything to reverse the roles. But for now all he could do was to be here for her when ever she needed anything.

The couple lay there for a while; Hermione trying to calm her breathing and Charlie convincing her that everything she was going through was normal.

"Harry said you wanted to see me," Charlie said once they were both sitting up and Hermione was sipping at a mug of tea.

"I just wanted to see you. You're the only one I feel truly safe and comfortable around," Hermione said honestly. Charlie didn't know what to say but rather squeezed her hand and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Bu next time you have to go somewhere can you tell me before you go please? I just like knowing where you are."

"Of course I will. Just as long as you promise you'll talk to me about anything and everything."

"I will," Hermione said, snuggling her head into Charlie's neck.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

The next 10 days saw Hermione get stronger, happier, healthier and experience fewer incidents. By the night before Harry and Ginny's wedding, she had made a good enough improvement to agree she would be able to walk down the aisle in front of Ginny and Mr. Weasley. The marquee had been put up in the garden and decorated by Fred and George, under the incredibly careful eye of Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. The Weasley children had been kept busy day in day out preparing the garden, the house, flowers, food and everything else anyone could possibly need during a wedding.

Saturday 11th July dawned warm and bright. Hermione was woken far too early for her liking by Ginny, who was jumping up and down on her bed full of excitement.

"Ugh, Ginny. Please calm down," Hermione groaned as she pulled her duvet over her head.

"Sorry I can't. And you're getting up now," she said with glee pulling the duvet off the bed. Hermione groaned loudly but pushed herself out of bed and followed the bride-to-be down to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Everyone at The Burrow was excited for the ceremony and party that afternoon. Last minute chores were carried out and Hermione found herself laying the tables for the dinner that evening when Fred came up behind her.

"Fred! Please don't do that, you scared the living daylights out of me," Hermione squeaked as she jumped in the air and sent a load of knives flying.

"Woah, no need to try and stab me though," Fred exclaimed as he ducked out of the way of the oncoming knives.

"Sorry." Hermione pulled out her wand and summoned them all back, this time ensuring they didn't go near Fred's face.

"How are you doing, 'Mione?" Fred asked, taking a handful of cutlery and helping lay the tables.

"Fine, I guess but I am quite apprehensive about this afternoon," she responded honestly not looking at Fred as she answered.

"How come?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just worried about being around loads of people, and people who don't know what happened and think I'm now just a bit odd," Hermione sighed as she moved on to placing the glasses.

"Hermione, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. We're all going to be here for you and no doubt Charlie won't even let you leave his view. And you're not odd at all. You may well have changed but you have every reason to have and everyone who's important to you knows that at the end of the day you'll have changed for the better," Fred said walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her as he caught sight of the tears in her eyes.

"I guess, it's just hard," Hermione said into Fred's shirt.

"Of course it is but we're all here to help you," Fred consoled rubbing small circles on her back. They stood there for a while until they were interrupted by a loud cough.

"You're really getting through us Weasleys." Hermione stepped away from Fred and looked behind him to see her fiancé eyeing the duo curiously. Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"You're definitely the last, don't you worry," Hermione said walking over and wrapping her arms around Charlie's waist. Charlie pulled her in close and bent down, pressing his lips to hers. Hermione melted into the kiss, the feeling of his slightly chapped lips on hers causing the fire to start in her belly. Charlie ran his tongue along her lips and Hermione granted his entry and let their tongues dance together.

"Alright you two, go find a room," Fred called loudly from the other side of the tent where he had moved to put up the flowers. They broke apart, Hermione blushing deeply. She rested her head against Charlie's chest, a feeling of calm washing over her upon hearing the strong beats of his heart.

"Thought I might find you here. Are you ready to start getting me ready now?" Ginny's voice wafted from the marquee entrance. Hermione let out a groan quiet enough that Ginny wouldn't hear it. Charlie let out a chuckle.

"Off you go, you'd better keep the bride happy," he whispered and planted a kiss on the top of her head. They exchanged one more kiss before Hermione followed Ginny to her bedroom to get ready a full five hours before the ceremony would begin.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"Ginny, stop moving now or I'll curse all your hair off and you'll be getting married bald," Hermione said angrily. Ginny's hair was the last thing to sort out before she put on her dress and headed to the make-do church in the garden.

"You wouldn't dare," Ginny growled.

"Oh I would if you don't sit still for two minutes," Hermione responded tartly. Ginny stopped fiddling with her earrings with a huff allowing Hermione to wave her wand and the red locks to form an elegant braid down the back of Ginny's head. She had barely added the silver clip that had been handed down the Prewett generations before Ginny was on her feet and marching to where her dress was hanging.

"Help me in will you Mione," she half asked, half instructed. Hermione rolled her eyes ever so slightly. She had thought being a maid of honour was meant to be fun but it was anything but as Ginny had been bossing her around all afternoon.

Once Hermione had zipped up the back of the dress Ginny spun around, the skirt of her dress flowing out.

'You look beautiful," Angelina said from the bed where she and Luna were pulling on their shoes.

"Yeah you do, Gin," Hermione added.

"I can't even see the nargles," Luna said wistfully. Ginny let out a laugh at the last comment.

"Thank you all so much. How do the dresses feel?"

"Pretty good actually," Angelina replied.

"I'm a big fan of how we all went for different colours. Just something different you know," Hermione said.

"Me too," Lune said gazing down at her royal blue dress before looking at Hermione's emerald green one and Angelina's bright red one. Hermione looked at herself in the floor length mirror Ginny had put in the corner of her room. The bridesmaid dresses were long to the floor, the top half an elegant lace and with a low back. Hermione turned around and was delighted that she couldn't see any of the scars on her back. The combination of Mrs. Weasley's cream and Charlie's charms had done wonders.

It was this point that the door opened and Mrs. Weasley entered carrying a box. Upon catching sight of her daughter, tears filled her eyes.

"Don't start crying, Mum, it's meant to be a happy day," Ginny said sternly. "Plus you don't want your makeup to run."

"I know. I know. I'm just so proud to watch my daughter grow up to be such a wonderful young lady," she cried.

"Mum, stop it or you'll make me cry too," Ginny said dabbing at her eyes.

"Right, yes, ok," Mrs. Weasley said, hurriedly patting her eyes dry. "Anyways, these were mine on my wedding day and I hope you'll wear them today." Mrs. Weasley opened the box in her arms and pulled out the pair of shoes. Hermione let out an audible gasp – they were beautiful. They were a simple white satin with a elegant silver beaded pattern of flowers winding up the heel and around the shoe.

"They're gorgeous," Ginny whispered taking them from her mother and slipping them on. "They're perfect." She engulfed her mother in a hug.

A cough came from the door and everyone spun round to see Mr. Weasley standing there, his eyes a little watery as he caught sight of his daughter.

"We're going to be late," he said.

"Right, yes, of course." Mrs. Weasley hurried out of the room, pulling off her apron and simultaneously transfiguring her hair into a bun. Hermione led the way down the stairs and out to the marquee. Peeking inside she saw Harry and Ron standing nervously at the alter. A great sense of pride filled Hermione as she took in the scene around her, she honestly didn't think she would see this day during the months in the woods, at Malfoy Manor, at the battle or whilst she was held captive. She shook her head as she felt a few tears in her eyes. She turned around to the others and received a friendly squeeze from Angelina.

"Right, Luna you first. Followed by Ang then me and Gin and Arthur you come once everyone's standing," Hermione instructed. There was a murmur of agreement before Luna stepped onto the aisle and walked up to the front, followed by Angelina. Hermione took a deep breath and began to feel her legs shake. The vast majority of people there knew nothing of what had happened the past weeks and Hermione was worried about facing them all.

"Hey, you're OK. Everything's fine. Just one step in front of the other and soon it'll all be over," Ginny whispered in her maid of honour's ear once noticing her hesitation. Hermione nodded, took another breath and started to walk.

{-/-} [-\\-] {-/-}

"I'm so proud of you," someone whispered in Hermione's ear as she sat on the porch chair by herself later that evening. There was a slow waltz floating through the tent, which found multiple couples on the dancefloor. Hermione smiled as his lips touched hers ever so briefly.

"I thought I was going to be sick I was so nervous," she said honestly as Charlie sat down next to her.

"But you got through it. You were fabulous, and that dress looks amazing on you," he said eyeing her up and down with a smirk. Hermione hit his arm.

"1 down, two to go."

"Two?"

"Ang asked me to be her bridesmaid along with Alicia Spinnett, Katie Bell and Ginny, not entirely sure why though for her and George's wedding in three weeks. And then there'll be ours at some point," Hermione added, a shiver going down her back at the thought of being married by the end of the year.

"Which reminds me of something," Charlie said with a smile quickly taking a look to confirm that they were alone. He pulled a small box out of his trouser pocket and got to the ground on one knee.

"Ever since I met you four years ago I knew there was something very special about the little bookworm. And I couldn't have asked for a better few months. Yes you have been to hell and back but those times before when you were safe and the past 10 days have quite honestly been the best weeks of my life. I have never felt so calm and happy before. You've changed me. You've made me understand that there are some things truly worth fighting for and you are one of them. I felt like I was loosing a piece of my heart with everyday we weren't together and only now is it healed. I have never felt so proud than these past days seeing how much better you've got and how when you set your mind to something you will achieve it. Iwant to spend the rest of my life with the woman that makes me feel this way and I hope that she wants to spend the foreseeable future with me. I love you Hermione, and I don't think I could go another day without you by my side. Will you marry me?" Charlie asked flipping open the box to expose a simple, beautiful ring. The band was rose gold with a teardrop shaped morganite stone in the middle surrounded by small diamonds.

"Absolutely," Hermione whispered, tears filling her eyes. Charlie grinned widely and carefully took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Hermione's finger. Hermione threw her arms around his shoulders as he stood up, lifting her into the air.

"I love you," Hermione whispered into his ear before capturing his lips with hers in a passionate kiss.

 **(A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's sticked by the entire story - I really hope you enjoyed it and please please please do leave a review of your thoughts! Just an epilogue to come in the next week or** **so!)**


	28. Chapter 28 - Epilogue

**Just a quick epilogue for you, sorry it's so short - enjoy!**

 **Chapter 28 – Epilogue**

23rd April 1999 dawned sunny and warm. The date had held a special place in Hermione's heart and she knew the day after Charlie had proposed she wanted to get married on the same day her parents had got married 22 years ago. Hermione rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She was back in Ginny's old room having decided to spend the night before the big day at The Burrow and making Charlie stay with Bill at Shell Cottage. Today was the day. Today was the day Hermione became an official Weasley. You would never have thought that nine months ago she was mentally and physically abused almost to death. The recovery hadn't been smooth and whenever she felt she had made improvements something would happen and she would be back at step one. But she was getting there and it had now been 29 days since her last 'attack'.

Hermione barely had any time to reminisce the better days she had spent with Charlie the past 9 months before Ginny burst into the room levitating a tray topped with two plate of blueberry pancakes and steaming mugs of tea.

"So you finally decided to grace us with consciousness I see," the maid of honour said with a laugh.

"Ha bloody ha," Hermione said sitting up and gratefully accepting the food. Her appetite had only really returned in the past few months and she was only just beginning to put on some more weight and no longer look entirely of skin and bones.

"You know it's 11 o'clock already and the ceremony starts at 4:30. That gives us like five and half hours to get ready," Ginny said sitting down on the end of Hermione's bed and tucking into the other plate of pancakes.

"That's about five hours too long then," Hermione said grumpily. She still hadn't completely forgiven Ginny for how she had treated her on her wedding day and was not about to experience the same on her own wedding day.

"It's going to take longer than half and hour to just tame that mane," Ginny retorted. "I don't even know how I'm going to go about it."

"Surely you can just do what you've done in the past?" Hermione asked innocently. Ginny almost dropped her fork in shock.

"I can't do that, today it needs to be different and special." Hermione rolled her eyes but was finally able to agree to start getting ready in two hours.

Hermione decided to go for a walk to clear her head before the mania began. She was excited to get married. She loved Charlie and couldn't think of anyone else she would rather spend the rest of life with but there was a part of her that wished she wasn't getting married. She knew the sole reason she was getting married at such a young age was because of the ruddy law and not because she wanted to. She let out a sigh as she sat down on the bench in the clearing of the pear and apple trees Charlie had shown her so long ago. At least she was getting married to the man she loved and her only other consolation was that they would have got married sooner or later, it just happened to be a lot sooner than she would have wanted. As the warm breeze rustled the leaves above, Hermione lost herself in thoughts of how much her life had changed in the past 18 months.

"I thought you may have been here," a voice floated from near the trees. Hermione looked over and couldn't help but smile.

"You know me well then," she responded with a smirk as Fred walked over and sat down next to her. Hermione enjoyed having his company and simply sat there in silence.

"So how's the soon to be Mrs. Weasley feeling?" Fred finally asked peering over at Hermione.

"She's not too bad," Hermione responded a fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hadn't even thought about becoming Mrs. Weasley, it was one of the few things that had simply slipped her mind about this entire marriage malarkey.

"Not too bad? Is that all she can say on her wedding day? Charlie will be distraught," Fred exclaimed, clasping his hands to his heart, but Hermione noticed the twinkle in his eye.

"Oh shut up," she said elbowing him in the ribs.

"Ow, no need to be like that missy," Fred said indignantly rubbing at his side. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No need to act like a prat then," she retaliated.

"That's my job though isn't it, to keep the mood light and be a prat," Fred said with a laugh.

"Fred. Shut up," Hermione said forcefully but with a laugh. For one Fred listened and sat there in quiet allowing Hermione drift back into her own thoughts once again appreciating the twin's company.

"Hermione?" Fred finally asked after a while.

"Hmm?" Hermione opened her eyes and looked over at the twin surprised to see an unreadable look on face.

"I know we talked about it right after the battle but I'm just not entirely sure you fully understand just how much you mean to me." Hermione's eyes widened in shock. No. He couldn't possibly be saying this. Not today of all days.

"No, Merlin no, I didn't mean it like that," Fred added hurriedly upon catching sight of Hermione's face. "I meant it was in…for…um…saving my life. I don't think I've been completely able to express my gratitude and now that you're moving on with Charlie I'm afraid I'm going to see you less and you're never going to fully appreciate just how thankful I am of you. You had no need to do what you did and I don't know what I would do without you. I just…I…thank you." Fred faded out his eyes brimming with tears. Hermione sat there speechless. This was the third time Fred had talked about it, the second on a drunken night out, and Hermione was beginning to realise just how much her actions had impacted the Weasley.

"I would do it again, for any of you Weasleys," she whispered and rested her head on his shoulder. Fred wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in tight so very glad that after everything she was still with them.

"I've been looking all over the place for you. It's already 1:15, we've got no time at all." Ginny's voice startled Hermione to sit up; she and Fred had clearly been sitting there for quite a while.

"Calm down, Ginny. We've got ages," Hermione said exasperatedly but nonetheless stood up not wanting to upset the fierce redhead any more.

"See you on the other side, Fred," she said giving him a smile, which he returned, before following her maid of honour back towards the house.

"Right so shower first, make sure you wash your hair and shave your legs. I'm going to get everything ready," Ginny said pushing Hermione into the bathroom a few minutes later and hurrying to her bedroom. Hermione groaned but got into the shower and let the hot water flow down her back, in a complete state of calm. She wasn't really that nervous at all. She didn't think what was happening would truly hit her until it was all over.

Hermione barely made it into Ginny's bedroom wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown before she was shoved, quite literally, onto a stool in the middle of the room and Ginny started attacking her hair with a brush.

"It's not going to work," Hermione almost sang to her best friend. "I can't remember the last time I brushed my hair when it hasn't had an entire bottle of Sleekeazy poured though it." Ginny gave up with a huff and promptly poured the potion into Hermione's hair. Within a few minutes it had calmed down and Ginny started fiddling around to fix her hair before moving on to painting her nails and finally doing her makeup.

Two and a half hours later Hermione found herself slipping on her wedding dress two and a half hours later, everything complete and ready to go with 40 minutes to spare before the ceremony.

"See Ginny, no need to rush. We could have started a good half and hour later," Hermione said as Ginny did up the many buttons on the back.

"But then we would have been rushing and no doubt something would have gone wrong," Ginny said exasperatedly. Hermione decided to ignore her and turned around to look at herself in the mirror. She let out a gasp of surprise upon catching sight of her reflection for the first time. Ginny had done a miraculous job with her hair. It was no longer bushy and unmanageable but sleek and let down in curls, an elegant and very complicated looking braid holding the top half off her face. Her makeup with simple and effective, not taking away from the dress. It was a relatively simple strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline with a beaded design on the bodice before flowing elegantly to the floor. Hermione smiled when she saw that the few remaining scars weren't noticeable thanks to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

"Not too shabby I guess," she muttered to herself. Ginny almost fainted at the comment.

"Not too shabby? Hermione shut up, you're drop dead gorgeous right now. I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie fainted right there and then when he first catches sight of you," Ginny said her voice loud and startled.

"I agree," a voice came from the doorway. Hermione turned around to see her other two bridesmaids, Luna and Angelina. They were both wearing their dresses, a deep purple in a similar design to hers but without the beading.

'You guys look pretty great too," Hermione said blushing a little bit. Angelina and Luna beamed at her. Hermione was beginning to feel the butterflies as she looked back to examine herself in the dress. It was all getting very real. There was just one thing missing. Ginny had been amazing, as had everything that Mrs. Weasley had done but a mother just couldn't be replaced on your wedding day. Hermione felt a lone tear trickle down her cheek.

"Here." Hermione looked round and saw Luna handing her a handkerchief.

"Thanks," she muttered, dabbing at her eyes.

"They would be so so proud of you right now," Luna whispered.

"I know, but it doesn't take away from the fact they're not here because of me," Hermione said sadly.

"Today's not the day to dwell on it. You've done everything you could have done to get them back but for now just know that they would be bursting with pride at how amazing their daughter had grown up to be." Hermione was shocked at so much sense being said by Luna but after remembering she had lost her mother at a young age it was something that only Luna would be able to understand.

"Thank you," Hermione said wrapped the girl in a hug. There was a knock on the door and Harry popped his head in.

"Wow, Hermione you look amazing. Molly's looking for you lot, something about flowers," he said with a shrug looking at Ginny, Angelina and Luna. With a slight groan each they all headed out of the room and downstairs.

"Can I come in?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded.

"Charlie's pretty darn lucky if you ask me," Harry said looking Hermione up and down causing her to blush. His face then turned serious and he beckoned for Hermione to sit next to him on the bed.

"Hermione, I don't want you to freak out or anything. I want you stay as calm as you can and…well…enjoy Charlie's early wedding present."

"I was meant to get him a wedding present?" Hermione asked shocked.

"Shush. You're missing the point. I'm going to give you some privacy. And just remember, try and stay calm," Harry said pressing a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. Hermione sat there confused, what in Merlin's bead was going on? Fortunately, her question was answered a few moments later when the door opened and the two people she never thought she would see again were stood in the doorway. But she could only see them for a second before her eyes with filled with tears and everything was a blur.

"It's OK, love. No need to cry," a female voice said. Hermione felt the bed sink on either side of her and arms being wrapped around her. Hermione couldn't control her sobs as her whole body shook.

"What are you both doing here?" she finally asked after controlling herself.

"A certain fiancée came and got us and explained everything. Hermione we are so proud of you and everything you've done both for us and for everyone around you. You truly are the most spectacular woman I've had the pleasure of knowing," the woman said from Hermione's right.

"You're not angry with me?"

"How could we possibly be angry with you? You did what you had to do to protect us and we couldn't thank you enough," the man said astonished at how Hermione could possibly have thought they were angry. "But I do believe some people may be angry if we don't get you to the aisle…5 minutes ago." Hermione let out a shaky laugh.

"I've missed you," she said standing up. She pulled out her wand and waved it to sort out her makeup.

"We figured and we want to talk but we can't keep a certain man waiting for much longer," the woman said standing up and wrapping her arms around Hermione in a tight hug.

"He's quite the gentleman, we couldn't be happier," she whispered into Hermione's ear.

"I love you, mum. And I love you, dad," Hermione said turning to accept a hug from her father as well.

"We love you too, poppet," Mr. Granger said planting a kiss on top of his daughter's head. "Now let's go get you married so we can catch up with the past 20 months and get to know this charming husband of yours." Hermione let her father lead her out of the room and towards the marquee, where everyone was waiting for her. Her life was now complete, she couldn't be happier. She was about to marry the love of her life and her parents were back and a part of her life once more. Hermione's smile was the biggest of them all as she walked down the aisle holding onto her father's arm, ready to start the next chapter of her life.

 **(A/N thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who's stuck by me and read the entire story - it means so much how much attention this has got, especially being my first ever fan fiction! I hope you enjoyed it 3)**


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